Sometimes, a photo just resonates with you. Maybe it’s some random tropical beach you’re longing to visit as the sky hurls snow outside. Or, maybe it’s a picture of your grandmother that conjures up the remembered fragrance of her store-bought cookies. Mmmmm. Ghost cookies.

For me, this is the photo that resonated today.

I’m not even kidding. This is how I feel.

With just three days left before I move back to Asia for several months, I’m super-sonic everything. I’m 10 days into a 14-day workout challenge that involves 4 personal training sessions per week. (super-sonic limping)

I’ve written 20 pages since Monday. I’ve also cooked the NY Times recipe for Indian Butter Chicken (needs salt), cleaned out a closet and started organizing a food festival.

If I am anything at all right now, it’s this intensely focused squirrel flying through life on a red, rubber dragon.

Thus, I’ve decided now is the perfect time to put one of my 2018 goals into action. I want to start adding videos to this blog. I signed up for a 10-hour course on video editing in Bangkok. I made a Vimeo account. I got a GoPro. I uploaded a tiny, short, first video to this blog.

Clearly, I’m only moments away from entering the Telluride Film Fest.

There was no snow when we visited over Christmas. My brother cashed in our lift tickets and snowmobile funds and got us all a 15-minute helicopter ride with Helitrax.

Funny enough, the first-ever video on the BDF wasn’t even made by me. It was actually shot by Chris Page. I can’t take credit for it, but I can take credit for uploading it successfully. Oh. Wait. No. That credit goes to Annie Shustrin, my official blog design guru. Without her, this blog wouldn’t even exist. Thank you, Chris. Thank you, Annie.

No matter what life throws my way … whether I’m feeling like a Squirrel Astride a Kickass Toy … or, the unmotivated, dead-opposite … I’ve found it all goes a little easier if I remember one thing.

Family and friends are the most important thing.

Stuff gets done or it doesn’t. Things get crazy or stay stable. But growing your capacity for love – both given and received – is the most vitally important thing you can do. Period. That’s it.

Here are a few moments from the incredible week I spent with my family in Telluride. I’m glad we couldn’t ski. Instead, we took long walks and tossed the football. We flew over mountains in a helicopter and played equally intense games of Jenga by a fire. There were double-dog dares to jump out of the hot tub for somersaults. Annnd, two pork tenderloins that I totally overcooked.

It was an awesome time with all of my most important humans … my actual rubber dragons.

Happy January, y’all.