Willpower is a measurable and depletable resource. We make thousands of choices every day, and each of those choices uses up some portion of our will… - Alexi Pappas

When I think about what I'd like to give him, it's satisfaction - a metaphorical rocking chair that he can sit in and enjoy. The rocking chair comes in many forms. There are the big things, like brining him in for a tour of the Olympic Village in Rio, or saying a special thank-you in front of the guests at my wedding. And there are the little things, like giving him rewards points. You know those rewards people get at the grocery store where you get discounts and free stuff when you earn enough points? My dad gets so much pleasure out of that. I makes him feel so good that I still use his phone number to get my groceries so that he can have the points. And these grocery points make him so fucking happy that it makes me sad.

But your body is like a pencil: if you sharpen it too much, it will break.

The brain behaves similarly with emotional trauma: When we create a personal law in response to trauma, the law can become hardwired into your brain so strongly that when you encounter even vaguely similar situations much later, your mind reacts with irrational intensity.