Yuriy’s Flight

Today is the 50th anniversary of Yuriy Gagarin’s remarkable solo flight around the earth. Here is a beautiful video all about it.

What makes me really emotional is realizing just how big of an achievement it was (the fact that a bloodthirsty and totalitarian regime pushed for it does not diminish this,) and how scary and thrilling it must have been for him.

At a time when we have so much negative news from Libya, Bahrain, Egypt, Japan,Israel, bam, bam, bam every day, non-ending 24-hour news cycle,  it’s a relief to reflect on the wonders of humanity rather than the horrors.

And, hey, if astronauts can have a work-life balance, why can’t I?

With his daughters Yelena and Galina, reading the first-generation iPad. Prestigious Soviet kids got all the best stuff.