...that empathy is a limited and local resource. Expanding one’s desire to empathize with an increasing number of people spreads it thin like too little butter on too much bread.

...that anxiety and grit are like two characters in a dark comedy—each one flawed, but when they work together, they can create something powerful.

...that being naked in your home is liberating and suddenly makes you feel better about your body.

...that if you reward people screaming at you by giving in to their demands, you train them and others to scream at you with impunity.

...that the fake Spring (always around the end of February or beginning of March) in Chicago is something special. All of sudden people are out in shirt sleeves and walking the lakefront. A week later, it’ll be like a dream we all had but a really good one.

...that one can make a lot of assumptions about the neighborhoods in Chicago but there is no escaping the fact that the Red Line smells like piss and weed and the Brown Line does not.

...that there must be a purpose of living beyond simply surviving despite the fact that survival is a heavy lift for most people. To find your purpose, look to the things that bring you the most joy and pursue.