I keep saying this — when you walk one road for a long time, you're going to waver.

When you’re chasing a goal, your heart can waver.

But even when it does, the swings have to stay small,

and you have to get back on course quickly.

Isn’t that the only way to survive for the long haul?

So whether it’s hope, disappointment, a slump, gloom, or joy — every one of them has to be felt small, small,

and you have to fight your way back quickly. (At my own pace.)

You can swing downward,

but you can also swing upward.

In other words, letting expectations swell is something I have to avoid as much as I possibly can.

Small hopes, small letdowns — because in the end, the goal is to last a long time.

I only get this one life, and even this stretch of time, once it passes, is over.

Out of nowhere, an old saying I used to find stiff and old-fashioned comes back to me.

‘It’s not that the strong survive for a long time — the ones who survive for a long time are the strong ones.’