Dave Barry. “Skiing combines outdoor fun with knocking down trees with your face.” [Quotes of the Day]

Samuel Johnson. “What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure.” [Quotes of the Day]

Katharine Whitehorn. “The easiest way for your children to learn about money is for you not to have any.” [Quotes of the Day]

Joe Ancis. “The only normal people are the ones you don't know very well.” [Quotes of the Day]

Here are four quotes that appeared on the same day. The first one appeals to my sense of danger in one of my favorite sports. The second quote aptly describes my dilema in writing. Writing is hard work if you want it to be read. The third quote highlights an important fact about how children learn about money. Children without money seem to learn their “life lessons” so much easier. Most kids with money just don't get it until life kicks them in the butt with a bitter life lesson. Some kids grow up and never get it despite a multitude of “life lessons” heaped on them. To me the last quote speaks about the problem we face in talking about our dysfunctional families. We are hurt by our family strangeness. It makes some family members very embarassed and lonely. The solution is to share these problems with a close friend. There lies the problem. You need a friend who won't run away screaming as you describe your family problems. My slightly abridged version of the quote is, “The only normal families are the ones you don't know very well.”