Finally back to normal, if there even is such a thing. The last couple of weeks were a whirlwind, as is to be expected if a lot of bitcoiners are at the same place at the same time.

Bitcoin Atlantis was a fantastic event, as many others have mentioned before me. It was so good to see everyone. New friends, old friends, brothers and sisters, even classmates and family. Yes, family.

To me, the gathering that happened on this strange island in the middle of the Atlantic felt more like an extended family gathering than a conference, which is what made it so beautiful. Exhausting? Yes. Strange? Definitely. But also full of love, tears of joy, and a deep sense of "togetherness" that only families can provide. Strange uncles and all.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: cherish these times. We're still in the early days, and as bitcoin marches on and grows, and as bitcoinization proceeds, what is strange and extraordinary now will soon be normal and ordinary.

The internet is magic, as are mobile phones. Yet we don't have any "internet people" anymore, not in the "bitcoiner" sense, to bridge the analogy. In certain places and for certain people bitcoin is already normalized, and what used to be mind-blowing just 12 months ago simply isn't anymore. We get used to things too quickly, even magic. We adjust, we get bored, and we fail to appreciate how far we have come.

I'm writing this as a sip my morning coffee, a coffee that I will pay in sats outright, with zaps I've received on nostr. Isn't that magical? Yet it's very normal to me. I have to pinch myself every day to make sure it is real.

It's hard to comprehend how much sweat, blood, tears, and pain were necessary to make all of this work. Bitcoin. Lightning. Nostr. The myriad of tools, libraries, capital, and infrastructure required so that you can zap me and I can pay for this coffee. Instantly. Global. Without anyone's permission. We say that Bitcoin is magic internet money for a reason, so please take a step back and appreciate the magic. Appreciate how far we've come.

It's easy to get lost in the thick of it all when you're close to the grindstone. I know there's people out there that question themselves, wondering why they keep working on all this stuff, asking themselves if they make a difference. I know because I'm one of these people sometimes. I know because some of my friends are struggling, and have been struggling for a while. I see you, and if I could I'd give you a hug twice a day.

But most days we're not in the same place at the same time, so let me say the following instead: You matter. Your contributions matter. You just being around matters.

That's why physical events are so important. It's borderline impossible to feel stuff through a computer screen. But once you meet people in person—your people, the people that, for one reason or another, are perfectly aligned with you—you can FEEL it. You can really feel it. You can feel that it matters, that the tide is shifting, that the freedom tech we are working on changes the very real lives of very real people. 

It was wonderful to meet all of you. Peace & Love, and please take care of each other. 🙏🧡