When someone's wounded, the first order of business is to stop the bleeding. You can figure out later how best to help them heal.

New Yorkers, I figured, just pretended to be unfriendly.

When I asked my mother, ‘how do I tell people about you’ her answer was ‘tell the truth’. But of course, the truth is never simple.

What I do know is that wondering why you survived don't help you survive.

....he said it was interesting. He used the word 'textured'. He said 'smooth' is boring but 'textured' was interesting, and the scar meant that I was stronger than whatever had tried to hurt me.

Teaching is a calling too. And I've always thought that teachers in their way are holy - angels leading their flocks out of the darkness.

Once you'd resolved to go, there was nothing to it at all.