this is totally off the wall, but reading your post reminded me of a song by guy clark (a great songwriter) which strikes me as pertinent. the refrain goes ..

stuff that works
stuff that holds up
the kind of stuff you don't hang on the wall
stuff that's real
stuff you feel
the kind of stuff you reach for when you fall

kinda like perl, huh? forgive the digression, the epiphany you describe is one of the things i like about programming in general. i just love it when a plan comes together.