This was a land of lost souls. Human beings who had weathered great storms in life, had suffered unspeakable loss, had been put to painful tests of existence, and still remained standing—but just barely.

Some fish get caught for biting and some fish just get caught for being in the wrong part of the pond...I'm no diviner, but having been in the wrong part of the pond most of my life, I can usually tell which fish bite and which fish don't. I suspect you may have found yourself in the wrong part of the pond a time or two.

No, the sky, it is not a contest or an exam. The only question is, can you look up? Can you take it all in?

Finding your way doesn't mean you always know where you're going. It's knowing how to find your way back home that's important.

...the person you encounter is often more than the person you see.

If there is such a thing as a universal--and I wasn't ready to throw all of mine out the window--it's that there is power in a story. And if someone pays you such a kindness as to make up a tale so you'll enjoy a gingersnap, you go along with that story and enjoy every last bite.