On the motorcycle last month, it occurred to me that I'm rarely thrown off when good things come to me or when bad things befall me. On the motorcycle, I noticed that I received the problematic sight of rain clouds out of nowhere with the same almost entirely unemotional calm as when, thoroughly rain pelted, I saw blue sky in the distance.

You get laid off. Your team wins the Stanley Cup. Your mother dies. Your book is published. The repair is going to cost $2,500. Your wife is pregnant.

You take in the news calmly. You are pretty good at handling shit. At least, I am.

My dad used to say we'd worry less about what others think of us if we realized how seldom they do.

In that vein, I think we'd be a lot more forgiving of others if we realized how forgiving they're forced to be, of us.

"They seem like a smart, decent people who aren't out to change the world. Which is better than a bunch of dumb pricks who are."