The Best Things in Life

The feel of smooth skin over firm muscle.

The smoky taste of good scotch on a mountain under brilliant stars.

The floating, satisfied exhaustion of a grappling match or ten with a really skilled, strong opponent.

Looking over students who you know will be better than you.

The understanding gaze of wide gray eyes.

Rapturous exhilaration of free fall- from a plane or judo or at the top of a bungee bounce or in a dream.

The pride and awe of your own children from birth to the present- I helped make them... I still am.

The feeling of rough rock under your fingers and sun on your back and wind in your ears and emptiness beneath you.

Stories with friends and brothers around the bonfire late into the night.

That moment when avoidance and defusing has failed and the battle is on: the rush of fierce joy and fear as civilization falls away and everything for the next few seconds will be completely real.

The first cup of black coffee right after teeth are brushed.

The smell of sweat- sex sweat and workout sweat.

Running under the wing, paragliding, and your feet magically leave the ground and you are running for a moment on air.

Snorkling in clear warm water and suddenly realizing you have no idea how long you have been down and it feels like you could hold your breath and keep swimming forever.

Smell of campfire smoke in your lover's hair.

Squishing mud with your bare feet.

The water from a hot spring falling on your back in a little waterfall as cold Pacific water laps at your feet: the hot and the cold, the smell of sulfur and salt.

The world is a big place, and full of many things. Most of those things are beautiful if you look and listen and smell and feel and taste.