Who on earth is going to use 'utilize' in a text message, a whopping seven characters including the always-hard-to-type 'z,' when you can say the exact same thing in three characters? I can't think of a sentence in which 'use' can't replace 'utilize.'

One of the very best reasons for having children is to be reminded of the incomparable joys of a snow day.

Every corny thing that's said about living with nature - being in harmony with the earth, feeling the cycle of the seasons - happens to be true.

I don't turn to greeting cards for wisdom and advice, but they are a fine reflection of the general drift of the culture.

Most writing doesn’t take place on the page; it takes place in your head.

The world is so huge that people are always getting lost in it. There are too many ideas and things and people too many directions to go. I was starting to believe that the reason it matters to care passionately about something is that it whittles the world down to a more manageable size. It makes the world seem not huge and empty but full of possibility.

I think part of a hero construct is overcoming loss, or being abandoned, or having to make your own way in the world.