Human Beings Do Not Eat Nutrients, They

Rarely Is It Possible To Study All Of The Instructions To A Game Before Beginning To Play, Or To Memorize The Manual Before Turning On The Computer. The Excitement Of Improvisation Lies Not Only In The Risk Of Being Involved But In The New Ideas, As Heady As The Adrenaline Of Performance, That Seems To Come From Nowhere.

The Timing Of Death, Like The Ending Of A Story, Gives A Changed Meaning To What Preceded It.

Wherever A Story Comes From, Whether It Is A Familiar Myth Or A Private Memory, The Retelling Exemplifies The Making Of A Connection From One Pattern To Another: A Potential Translation In Which Narrative Becomes Parable And The Once Upon A Time Comes To Stand For Some Renascent Truth. This Approach Applies To All The Incidents Of Everyday Life: The Phrase In The Newspaper, The Endearing Or Infuriating Game Of A Toddler, The Misunderstanding At The Office. Our Species Thinks In Metaphors And Learns Through Stories.

Monotony And Repetition Are Characteristic Of Many Parts Of Life, But These Do Not Become Sources Of Conscious Discomfort Until Novelty And Entertainment Are Built Up As Positive Experiences.

The Critical Question About Regret Is Whether Experience Led To Growth And New Learning. Some People Seem To Keep On Making The Same Mistakes, While Others At Least Make New Ones. Regret And Remorse Can Be Either Paralyzing Or Inspiring. [p. 199]