I won the parental lottery. Most of the kids I grew up with either came from really fractured homes, or really violent ones. I went home to a very traditional, good Irish Catholic family.

I'm from an Irish Catholic family.

I grew up in a very traditional family, but there was never anything I didn't think I could do.

I grew up in a bookish family, so I read very widely. I was omnivorous, really.

Happiness doesn't lie in conspicuous consumption and the relentless amassing of useless crap. Happiness lies in the person sitting beside you and your ability to talk to them. Happiness is clear-headed human interaction and empathy. Happiness is home. And home is not a house-home is a mythological conceit. It is a state of mind. A place of communion and unconditional love. It is where, when you cross its threshold, you finally feel at peace.

I grew up in a very Catholic family. Up until puberty, I would go to a Catholic church every week.