Can you hear me now?

Here's a little nugget of wisdom that can save a lot of grief.

About half of the people you talk to are only listening to you about half of the time.

Expect frequent interruptions, 90-degree turns in the direction of conversation, and having to repeat yourself often.

Once you understand this fact, you can learn to groom those people to give you more of their attention, or just ignore them altogether.

We are all survivors

I decline to accept the end of man ... I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. He is immortal not because he alone among creatures has an unexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance.

William Faulkner, upon acceptance of his Nobel Prize for Literature

This reminds me of something I once heard about how all of us alive on earth today come from generations of survivors. We have as much stuff in us as we need to endure most problems that people could confront. If our families survived through the generations, then we can too.

Chocolate serendipity

72% cacao. Noir. Eclats de feves de cacao. Cocoa nibs in dark chocolate.

Thank you Chocolat Stella.