I hope everyone had an enjoyable Labor Day! Mine wasn’t exactly enjoyable, but fairly productive. Most of it entailed moving into a new apartment, which, I’m happy to say, I absolutely love. While traveling up and down on the elevator countless times (I moved within my apartment building), I had a chance to think about the summer and some of the people I’ve met (not to mention, how quickly the summer went)! I’m fortunate in my line of work to meet fascinating people from around the globe, but this summer it was the people that I’ve met through a network of personal friends that really opened my eyes. They helped to remind me that it’s the little things in life that can help make the biggest impact on you and those around you. A friend whom I met recently has been going through, to put it mildly, an extreme rough patch the past few years. I hate to say it, but sometimes it takes another person’s tale of woe to remind me that when I’ve hit a slump, it could easily be much worse. That’s not to say what I may be going through at the time deserves any less attention, but having the chance to talk with these friends, and hearing how they survived difficult endeavors, reminded me to remember the little things – the things that make me smile when I’m having a rough time, rather than become overwhelmed with the larger picture, which I often don’t have any control over. Now, I know this blog may be vague when it comes to the details, but I’m sure you can all think of some situation where you just didn’t know how you were going to get through it. Take the advice from my friends – if you ever have to face a difficult time, just take each day step by step and look at the little things in life that make you smile. Maybe it’s a memory or the sun shining, or perhaps a stranger held the door open for you with a smile. Today, for me, it makes me smile to think of the wonderful people I’ve been fortunate to spend time with this summer. -Alex Young, associate publisher and vice president