A man reexamines his life and discovers some unappreciated moments of joy.
I was having coffee this morning with a dear friend who’s going through a difficult time at work. In one of those moments that make you wonder who’s winding the clock of life, my phone buzzed while we were sitting there. It was an e-mail from my old friend Ryan, and all I saw was the subject line: “Success.”
Some 17 years ago, Ryan and I were sportswriters at “competing” small newspapers in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. We had about a half dozen high schools, a Division III university, and a summer baseball league in our coverage area. In that lava-hot turf war, we somehow became friends.
We’ve kept in touch, but it’d been a few months since we’d talked when this curiously timed e-mail arrived. He said he was preparing a speech for the next week. He’s now a project manager for a research firm near Washington, and the speech he was going to give was titled “How Do You Define Success?” I’ve contributed to a publication called Success, so he turned the question to me: “How do you define success?” I thought of my coffee conversation and typed this:
Hey, man,
Good to hear from you again. And good timing. Your e-mail came in just as I was chatting with another friend, who’s going through one of those rough spells at work. I wish I had better advice.
What a broad question!
This story is from the April 2019 edition of Reader's Digest US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 2019 edition of Reader's Digest US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
GOTCHA!
We asked for it: What's the best prank you ever pulled?
LOST, FOUND, HOMEWARD BOUND
A collection of heart-thumping, tail-wagging, zoomies-inducing pet reunion tales
The HEALTHY WELLNESS FROM THEHEALTHY.COM
A vaccine is finally on the way. In the meantime, here's how to protect yourself from ticks.
A Baker's Dozen Facts About Eggs
13 Health Fact About Eggs
A Cure for "Mean World Syndrome"
News from The World of Medicine
Words to Live By
What I've learned from reading obituaries
Mind-Bending Facts About Yoga
13 THINGS and Facts About Yoga
A Scrumptious Sidekick
Got a crush on crunch? Pickles pack a punch.
Two-Man Ironman
A father-and-son team turns disability into triumph
Friends Forever
From chance encounters to apparent destiny, readers share their BFF origin stories