Yosemite

I got some pictures back.

Today I was watching a TV show (The Bear) and my eyes got a little misty. This is not an uncommon occurrence, but I’ve been thinking about it all day so now it’s in this email. Happy Tuesday, everyone. We run a real tight ship here at this Substack. The scene in question wasn’t complicated or a moment of high drama. It was simple. Something really good happened and I got emotional. The details aren’t important, but it is important that this beautiful slice of television reminded me that good things exist.

“Be joyful though you have considered all the facts.” This is one of my favorite lines from a Wendell Berry poem called, “Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front”. He seems to be saying that there are a lot of facts to consider and a great deal of them leave little reason to be joyful. True. I feel this a majority of the time. And like Wendell, I think (hope?) it’s worth trying to be joyful regardless. But the sweet thing about today was that I was reminded that there are some facts that actually deepen our joy, for which a few happy tears on a couch is an entirely appropriate response.

Here are a couple from today:

• The really good thing that happened in Season 2, Episode 7 of FX’s The Bear

• I saw someone who was excellent at rock climbing

• Leftover pizza

• Film photos from my trip to Yosemite with my Dad

So, that’s it for now. Good things are real even when they’re on TV. I hope you all have some reminders this week. I’m planning on sharing some demos from the new record this next week, but for now here are some of the pictures I got back from Yosemite, a very real and very good place.