At the end of their relationship she asked if they could still remain friends. His face stayed expressionless until he said "No. Because we put friends in boxes. You see them once in a while, or even a lot, but still they have their box in your life, their specific place. Their *category.* That's one of the great things about being someone's love-- you have no box in their life because you're part of all their boxes. You're their friend, their lover, their confidante-- all those things. I don't want to be put in one of your boxes and I don't want to shrink you to fit into one of mine.

May this house stand until an ant drinks the ocean and a tortoise circles the world.

You know people don't get better as we get older- we just get more of who we are.

Dogs are here to remind us life really is a simple thing. You eat, sleep, take walks, and pee when you must. That's about all there is. They are quick to forgive trespasses and assume strangers will be kind.

Writing a short story is like having a short intense affair, whereas writing a novel is like a long rich marriage.

Sometimes you have to give up on people. Not because you don't care, but because they don't.

I feel like a cliche.