T H E   I N E X P R E S S I B L E   C O M F O R T
of feeling safe with a person — 
having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words,
but pouring them all right out, just as they are, chaff and grain together; 
certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, 
and then with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away.

D I N A H   M A R I A   M U L O C K   C R A I K






Let me share this. I can do it any way you want, too—I can do it funny, or maudlin, or just straight, uninflected—anything. You tell me. I can do it sad, or inspirational, or angry. It’s all there, all these things at once, so it’s up to you—you choose, you pick. Give me something. Quid pro quo. I promise I will be good. I will be sad and hopeful. I will be the conduit. I will be the beating heart. Please see this! I am the common multiplier for 47 million! I am the perfect amalgam! I was born of both stability and chaos. I have seen nothing and everything. I am twenty-four but feel ten thousand years old. I am emboldened by youth, unfettered and hopeful, though inextricably tied to the past and future by my beautiful brother, who is part of both. Can you not see that we’re extraordinary?

D A V E   E G G E R S,   A   H E A R T B R E A K I N G   W O R K   O F   S T A G G E R I N G   G E N I U S