"It's funny how many different kinds of things you can make a halfway decent life out of if you believe in them and work at them." from Wallace Stegner's "A Shooting Star"

 I finished the book I mentioned yesterday, the one with the directionless protagonist.  She learned a lot of lessons by the end, but I'm not sure if she has resolved her many issues.  At least, she seemed to be able to identify that she is the problem and that is a big step.

Here's another poem by Barbara Kingsolver.  It presents me with some questions, but I like the sentiment.

Rent a house near the beach, or a cabin
but: Do not take your walking shoes.
Don’t take any clothes you’d wear
anyplace anyone would see you.
Don’t take your rechargeables.
Take Scrabble if you have to,
but not a dictionary and no
pencils for keeping score.
Don’t take a cookbook
or anything to cook.
A fishing pole, ok
but not the line,
hook, sinker,
leave it all.
Find out
what’s
left.

• How to Fly (In Ten Thousand Easy Lessons) by Barbara Kingsolver is published by Faber (£14.99).