If you're a doer, an enthusiastic let's-grab-life-by-the­-throat person like me, you focus on Getting It Done. But whizzing by the Opening and Closing parts of life is a mistake. Let's be real, we even embody Opening and Closing with each heartbeat.

When a prospect I hadn't seen in years said he thought of me every morning, I just about died. He clarified that he kept the Daruma doll I had given him in his closet, so he saw it every time he got dressed. Why market by giving out red papier-mâché figures?

The centaur Chiron, revered teacher of Greek heroes, was immortal. Hercules' poison tipped arrows were always fatal. When one of his arrows accidentally grazed Chiron, it created a wound that would never heal. Chiron, in excruciating pain, spent years trying to find a cure. He is the archetype of the wounded healer.

Today is my birthday, and it's bittersweet. Am thrilled to be alive, but sad that I have now lived longer than my dad. I was only 15 when he died and I'm still not 100% over it.

If I could have only 3 things on a desert island, one would be a dictionary. I never said I was practical. Being a word nerd has other perks, like getting to "Genius" (90% of possible points) in the NY Times Spelling Bee daily.

Time for Champagne! Today's milestone: 20 Atomic Essays on 20 consecutive days shipped to Twitter.