"That's what learning is, after all: not whether we lose the game, but how we lose and how we've changed because of it and what we take away from it that we never had before, to apply to other games. Losing, in a curious way, is winning."   (Richard Bach - The Bridge Across Forever)

Just discovered his novels. They're fascinating. It's not that I haven't read all those ideas before, in different books, differently phrased; it's how I perceive them now. They hit too close to home for my comfort. It's like the ether is telling me to stop dreaming already and start doing. But it's hard, dammit, 'cause I'm afraid of failure... there won't be anyone else to witness it except me - but that's enough. It would still be losing, and not sure it could be translated into winning...

Drat, and drat again.