Whoever coined the phrase 'a man's got to play the hand that was dealt him' was most certainly one piss-poor bluffer.

sometimes after I finished a particularly good book, I had the urge to get the library card, find out who else had read the book, and track them down to talk about it

A lady's hair is her crowning glory

But no matter how much planning you do, one tiny miscalculation, one moment of distraction, can end it all in an instant.

One time I saw a tiny Joshua tree sapling growing not too far from the old tree. I wanted to dig it up and replant it near our house. I told Mom that I would protect it from the wind and water it every day so that it could grow nice and tall and straight. Mom frowned at me. "You'd be destroying what makes it special," she said. "It's the Joshua tree's struggle that gives it its beauty.

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.

It's so much of what art and creativity are, being able to confront your own demons. If you can do that, you can get through just about everything.