Sometimes I need to restore my faith in the basic soundness of our species, because sometimes I see and hear too much that takes me in the opposite direction. So I watch for examples of our better nature. I look for displays of people at their best, in moments of earnest engagement when they are so involved in doing something they love that they forget to pose, when they lower their defenses and let go of their cynicism and sarcasm and pretension and become pure.

I hope you are all well, and I wish you happy holidays. It’s a most unusual season for me… mobilized for Op Iraqi Freedom. … You may not find the usual levity in this year’s letter — it just doesn’t feel appropriate right now. But maybe I can bring it around to something positive by the end. Please bear with me — the theme is paradox.

I crave the solitude of running alone, the private battles and private joy. But two years ago I became a father, and solitude became scarce. It also became less important, because my son is now my running partner.