When I think about the complexity of life: the different colors, tastes, smells, sounds, and textures; the emotions of love, excitement, and joy; the incredible art that transcends time; the humor; the success after many failures; the compassion and resilience of the human spirit, I am in awe of life and everything it has to offer. However, I do not feel this at the emotional level. I used to. I didn't need to intellectualize anything back then. I could still feel it. That's the only reason I can now appreciate life's beauty from an intellectual standpoint; because I truly felt that way at one point. It almost stings more to experience the beautiful side of something and then have it taken away as opposed to never experiencing it in the first place. John Steinbeck said it best, "It's so much darker when a light goes out than it would have been if it had never shone".