We got stuck at the Fort Myers airport last week with our five-year-old and toddler. Flight delayed, then delayed again, then canceled. We spent a grand total of 7 hours in a hotel room near the airport then rushed out in the morning for the new flight. It was my older son's first time in a hotel and he thought the whole thing was the greatest adventure of his life. He ate breakfast in the bathtub so he wouldn't wake up his little brother.

Here's what I know about that trip: we spent a long weekend in Florida. The boys swam every day and got noticeably better in the pool. We had great meals with grandparents. Mostly good weather. And in 20 years the thing we'll talk about over Thanksgiving dinner is the night we got stranded in the airport and my kid ate a bagel in a bathtub.

I was talking with a friend last week about his old landscaping job.

Hard, physical work. Mowing in the heat, hauling mulch, coming home wrecked. He doesn't miss it, but he talks about it with a kind of pride that his desk job doesn't produce.

In high school, I washed cars at a Chevy dealership. I cleaned up construction sites. I worked in dirty warehouses repackaging automotive parts. None of these jobs taught me anything about running a business. They taught me how to show up and do whatever needed doing. Those jobs weren't glamorous, they were formative. And they motivated me to study hard in school.

Ashton Kutcher gave a speech in 2013 that went viral.

He told the crowd his real name is Chris and the things he learned as Chris got him where he is. He talked about carrying shingles at 13, washing dishes, working a grocery store deli, sweeping a factory floor. He finished by saying, "I've never had a job in my life that I was better than. Opportunity looks a lot like hard work."

Nobody tells stories about the years everything was comfortable. We tell stories about the years we were figuring it out.

Our favorite terrible house.

Years ago, when my wife and I first started dating, I lived in the upstairs of a duplex I'd bought in Garfield Heights. No air conditioning. No dishwasher. We'd drink cheap boxed wine and sing karaoke in the family room. Life was simple and easy and we just had fun. We talk about those days all the time. Not with regret. With something closer to reverence.

The thing you're afraid of going back to? You've already lived it, and it was fine. Better than fine. It was some of the best stuff.

My wife and I try to recognize these years we have while our kids are little are probably the best of our lives. It's hard to appreciate that in real time. Especially when you've barely slept, you're late for work, and you've heard Mommy/Daddy 93 times before breakfast. Can I really sing The Wheels on the Bus for the 10th time? Yes, I can. And the 11th. Because in 20 years, I know I'd give anything to be back in these moments. Would it be nice to get a break? Sure, but I've been training for this my entire life.

This week's takeaway:

Think about the hardest time of your life, your worst apartment, your most uncomfortable job. That stretch built something in you that comfort never could. If you're in a hard stretch right now, take note. You're collecting material for the stories you'll tell for the rest of your life.

⚡ ONE MORE THING

NASA's Artemis II crew splashed down safely this week after a 9-day moon mission, the farthest humans have ever traveled from Earth. Every one of those astronauts will look back on the training, the setbacks, the years of preparation with a smile. The mission lasted 9 days. The struggle lasted a career.

— Matt

P.S. My son still talks about the bathtub breakfast. He has no idea it was the worst part of the trip. To him, it was the whole trip.