In different ways, many people have expressed the very powerful and mysterious idea: In order to find something, we must possess it.

This story from the life of Cathy Guisewite, the creator of the comic strip “Cathy,” is an example of how we can help. Sometimes.

Christopher Alexander’s book “A Pattern Language” changed the way I see the world; sometimes, at least in my case, it’s only through words that I can learn to see more clearly.

My fascination with Dolly Parton continues, and her answer to Barbara Walters in a 1977 interview is a good example of why we shouldn’t under-estimate people who are different from us.

In the wonderful Sydney Taylor’s children’s book All-of-a-Kind Family, the girls’ father realized he wanted to give his girls the true luxury: the luxury of giving him a gift.

On her iconic TV show, Julia Child drops a profound truth about human nature, in the middle of trying to flip a potato.

The life of Julia Child is a great example of the fact that sometimes, even when we can’t persuade people to take an interest in the things we love, we can sweep them along with our enthusiasm.

In this hilarious “Funny or Die” video by the musician Jewel, she goes undercover at a karaoke bar. It’s a good example of the fact that people do appreciate excellence, when they’re able to recognize it.

Sometimes when I complain, my husband Jamie reminds me, “This is what you wanted.” It’s comforting because it’s true.

It’s one of my favorite Secrets of Adulthood: The opposite of a profound truth is also true. In goth, and in so much else.