Find magic in the little things.

Back when I was in second grade, before my mom got remarried, we weren't real high on the economic ladder. She was working, going to nursing school and trying to raise a seven year old boy in a crappy little apartment. I remember only getting a few small things for Christmas that year, one of which was a flashlight. It was slightly L or gun shaped and turned on by a slide switch you operated with your thumb. Ever since then, a flashlight has been one of those timeless treasures for me. You have the ability to make the unknowns of the night go away at the flick of a switch. Something man probably dreamt of since he could stand upright.

I recently bought a spotlight for my sailboat. It's L or slightly gun shaped and pretty much holds the same magic for me as that first one I got 34 years ago.