To hear Porter Smith lecture on bipolar disorder is like taking a walk with a dear friend to places that you never thought someone would dare take you, e.g. the bottom of the ocean, the edge of a tall cliff, the far corners of the mind. A wish to see other bipolars circumvent some of the torment of long-term trials of confusion and distress amid a symptomatic bipolar life charges Porter's lecturing and his sense of service in the world.