I met Jay Jonhson. I won him the way poor people occasionally win the lottery: Shameless perseverance and embarrassingly dumb luck, and every time I see one of those sly, toothless, beaten-down souls on TV holding a winning ticket, I think, Go, team.

they danced as though they'd been waiting all their lives for each song.

Boundaries are the lines we draw that mark off our autonomy and that of other people, that protect our privacy and that of others. Boundaries allow for intimate connection without dissolving or losing one's sense of self.

I wasn't surprised to find myself in the back of Mr. Klein's store, wearing only my undershirt and panties, surrounded by sable.

You are imperfect, permanently and inevitably flawed. And you are beautiful.

Be real and be unashamed, even of your faults. I do truly know what my husband is made of and vice versa.

You cannot fake effort; talent is great, but perseverance is necessary.