While breakfasting at a cafe, a local artist – still at large and unknown – reminded me of a very real truth. My fellow eaters and I discovered that the drawers in the old table where we sat not only opened, but contained stacks of napkins that previous breakfasters had written and doodled on, an array of messages from the quality of the cafe to life philosophies to poems to markers of presence: “I was here.”

One caught my eye.

I imagine the doodler had heard one too many optimistic cliches of “Reach for the stars! Take the flying leap towards success and happiness! Defy gravity! You can do anything! Get a puppy! Hold a baby! Dreams!”

The truth: it’s a long haul to success.

I think we can all relate to Belle and Sebastian’s song, “I didn’t see it coming.”

A nod to the unknown artist. I hope your weekend is better, friends. I hope that despite the long haul, you still feel like this: