Wednesday. The long weekend is upon us.

Here’s what’s on tap today:

Let’s get into it.

If you’re new here, welcome. Happy to have ya!

Arthur Brooks teaches one of the hardest classes to get into at Harvard. The subject? Happiness. Go figure.

He posted something recently about the distinction between enjoyment and meaning.

Research he shared shows that when people rate their daily activities, taking care of kids tends to rank pretty low for moment-to-moment happiness, but near the top for meaning.

Which, if you’ve ever tried to get three kids out the door in the morning, checks out.

Brooks describes having children as a trade. You give up some enjoyment along the way. Sleep takes a beating. Freedom changes. There are plenty of days that aren't particularly “fun.”

But you get something else in return.

Meaning.

And I think that's useful to remember, especially in the middle of the stuff that feels hard. A meaningful life apparently isn't the same thing as a life that feels good all the time.

This isn't an argument for or against having kids. That's deeply personal, and for plenty of people the decision isn't theirs to make.

But for those of us in it, I liked the reminder:

Maybe we're not supposed to enjoy every minute of this. That doesn't mean it isn't one of the best things we'll ever do.

A couple random facts you probably don’t need to know… but might come in handy the next time you're standing around at a kid’s birthday party making awkward conversation with another dad you barely know.

We’ve been in Texas the last couple days, and this linen tee from Alex Crane has come in handy. If it’s still hot where you’re at, don’t sleep on these. Super lightweight, breathable, soft as hell, and honestly worth the price tag.

[ Get it here ]

Saw this in Arnold’s Pump Club and it’s a good reminder: on average, only about 72% of the extra calories you burn exercising actually show up as extra calories burned that day. Your body tends to make up for some of it by dialing down energy use elsewhere.

Translation: a hard workout doesn’t automatically give you a free pass to sit around all day or crush an extra 800 calories at dinner. Keep moving outside the gym and don’t sleep on that 15min walk after dinner if you can.