She said she usually cried at least once each day not because she was sad, but because the world was so beautiful and life was so short.

I am only strong enough for a life of partial virtue.

We went to a church that had missionaries who'd come back once a year from Fiji & give talks. I remember one of them saying it was very hard work telling people they were going to lose their everlasting souls if they didn't shape up. I pictured people sitting on the beach listening to this sweaty man all dressed in black telling them they were going to burn in hell & them thinking this was good fun, these scary stories this guy was telling them & afterwards, they'd all go home & eat mango & fish & they'd play Monopoly & laugh & laugh & they'd go to bed & wake up the next day & do it all again.

There are some days when no matter what I say it feels like I'm far away in another country & whoever is doing the translating has had far too much to drink.

Most people don't know there are angels whose only job is to make sure you don't get too comfortable & fall asleep & miss your life.

You're the strangest person I ever met, she said & I said you too & we decided we'd know each other a long time.

There are days I drop words of comfort on myself like falling leaves and remember that it is enough to be taken care of by myself.