“The past can be seductive for Tom, who spends most waking moments considering rods he will never hold, designed for streams he will never walk. The thin membrane keeping him from the abyss is his own determination to keep living. ‘I choose to be happy,’ he says.” From ESPN Magazine’s Wright Thompson, here’s an inspiring (and incredibly well-designed) piece about a paralyzed man who — with the help of his wife — designs fly rods and searches for the secret of life.

+ “He’s got a set of balls.” That’s Michael Bloomberg on Joe Biden. Here’s more on the Veep from GQ’s Jeanne Marie Laskas: Have You Heard the One About President Joe Biden?