We all need acceptance and affirmation.

This is obvious, but how many of us go for so long without it.

How easy it is to feel like an outcast, isolated.

Funny how such a small recognition can sometimes take us so far.

And further still how being on the winning team can give us this.

For example, I have been a lifelong Spurs fan, and I remember being in San Antonio when the Spurs won one of their championships.

It made me feel like a king for a day or two.

I hope you find something every now and then that makes you proud.

Especially if you are a soldier and struggling to get back into daily life.

Shoulders back, deep breath, and smile.

You got it!

The full point is broader though.

If you are isolated, you need to find a community and participate.

I’ve been an oddball all my life. I have often felt separate and alone. Standing in that crush in the Superdome was the first time I experienced total acceptance. At that moment, I knew Bears fans all over the world were feeling the exact same way. It’s what the doughboys must have experienced on Armistice Day.

-Rich Cohen, Monsters