It's rare to find someone excited over jury duty. If they're out there, I've never met them. Not a one. When the summons for jury duty arrives in the mail, how many people scream, 'Yes!' and run to clear the calendar? None. Our first and only reaction is, 'Oh, no,' quickly followed by, 'How can I get out of this?'

As much as the Pulitzer is the hallmark of journalism, I think what I love the most is when somebody says they took my column and it's in their wallet. I have had people open their wallet and show me a corner of a column.

Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.

When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

Family is more than DNA, more than who we used to be, more than we can imagine we will become.

If we threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.