I'm Gretchen Rubin and this is a little happier.

As I have mentioned many times, I love proverbs, coons, secrets of adulthood, paradoxes,

parables, fables, and teaching stories of all kinds.

And as part of this I've collected aphorisms for years, and I've started writing my own

aphorisms.

I've noticed that occasionally I'll write an aphorism that strikes me as very powerful,

but I realize that without an illustration, it might not make much of an impression

on other people.

I'll give you an example.

Here's my aphorism.

Modesty and good manners can save us from a lot of embarrassment.

Take a second to decide what you think that means.

Now I'll tell you a story to illustrate it.

This is a story about Dick Bass.

Dick Bass was the son of a Texas oil baron.

He was a ski resort entrepreneur and he often went on ambitious mountain climbing expeditions.

His achievements included being the first person to climb the highest peak on each of

the seven continents, as well as being the oldest person to climb Mount Everest at the age

of 55.

He was a guy with a big life and a big personality.

One time Dick Bass was on a cross-country flight and he spent the time regaling his very

nice seatmate with details from his adventures on all seven continents.

...