At times, I am overwhelmed with a feeling of bliss. It's a feeling of surprised elation that I have made it. I'm happy on almost every level. And it always overcomes me in a sudden all encompassing wave. It's the first time in my life that I've felt this way. And I'd like to think that it's a sort of reward for every one of my struggles, and that my happiness is like a medal of valor.

The ability to find beauty in the most grim situations is a skill that very few privileged people are able to cultivate. But when you're faced with the ugliest side of human nature, it becomes necessary. It's necessary because hope is the key to survival. But the wonderful benefit of cultivating this skill is that when things are going well, and life itself provides enough innate happiness to fulfill you, your life becomes a perpetual state of bliss. The normal level of happiness that the average person feels, by comparison, feels like heaven.