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Prologue
Have you ever looked back at the hardest parts of your life and wondered why they still make you smile?
Ever thought about why the toughest moments become better stories than the smoothest ones?
Ever wondered which story you always bring to the table when it’s your turn to share?
The trip with a smooth ride,
or the one where the car broke down?
The story with the elevator ride straight to the top,
or the journey of climbing a thousand steps on the stairs?
It’s ironic how the hardest moments
become the ones we talk about the most.
It’s ironic that people value the journey
more than the ending that comes after it.
And it’s even more ironic that
the moments we hate become the stories we love.
But… why?
Was it because we survived them?
Was it because something good eventually came out of it?
Was it because they taught us more than any book could?
Was it because of the people who stayed by our side through it all?
I don’t have a perfect answer.
And, I’m not trying to give you one either.
But, if you pause for a moment,
you’ll probably feel what yours is.
For me, it’s simple.
Those moments became a part of who I am.
Of course, I didn’t enjoy living through them.
But somehow, I’m still glad they’re a chapter of my life.
Like the time I got suspended from school,
a moment that ended up changing my life.
Or the territorial defense class everyone hated,
now the funniest reunion story.
Or the college years with sleepless weeks,
which gave me the best friends of my life.
Friends tell me I’m “stupidly optimistic.”
Honestly? They’re right.
And maybe that’s why I’m writing this memoir.
Not to teach you anything
(please, don’t turn any of this into life advice),
but I hope these stupid little stories
make you even a little bit happier.
And if there’s one thing I wish for,
it’s that this becomes the book you pick up on a difficult day.
Not to tell you what to do, but simply to remind you.
That the moment you’re struggling with right now,
might someday become the story you laugh about.
@@@quote@@@ Because if there’s anything I’ve learned in life, it’s this:
the worst moments often become the best memories. @@@end-quote@@@