Pity, bitterness, rage, sadness, fear, dread, and, worst of all, hopelessness—these can kill you. I mean that literally. I’ve noticed that when I’m overwhelmed, when I’m dealing with depravity and dysfunction, I’ll stop breathing. I’ll involuntarily hold my breath. I’ve also noticed that when I do that, I’m often looking for a joke, a bit, or a... See more

On the whole, she felt, life was more comedy than tragedy. Nearly everything that happened had its comic element, not too well buried, either. Sooner or later one could find something to laugh at in almost every situation. That was what, in the last analysis, could keep folks from going mad. The truth was, if you got a good Tragedy out of a

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Isn’t it also grotesque to fail to recognize the wonder and delights that attend even the most difficult, grueling life?

Geoff Lye, a British environmental consultant, once told me that after the sudden and premature death of his friend and colleague David Watson, he would find himself stuck in traffic, not clenching his fists in agitation, as per usual, but wondering: “What would David have given to be caught in this traffic jam?” It was the same for queues in

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