I really believe that people who never have miracles in their lives have given up five minutes before miracle. I honestly feel that’s true. Yet here I sit, ready to give up, not knowing if there’s an even better dog (that’s what it is—I had perfect dog picked out and was told I couldn’t have him) waiting around corner. While it seems no dog would be as perfect for me as one I didn’t get, it’s possible. I’ve looked at a lot of dogs. Why not look at a few more? Five, say. Look at five dogs and see how I feel about them. If I want to decide not to get a dog after all, I can do that tomorrow, or next week, or next month. I can even do it after miracle, if I decide to.

The key is just, as I’ve said, not bailing out five minutes before miracle.

Now, having failed at something important to me, I realize that I don’t have to do only one thing. I don’t even have to do anything for rest of my life. I may coach for five years and say, “I’m done.”

What my failure as a mystery writer taught me is that I have choices about what I do, and I’m never locked into any one thing. That was a gift I could never pay for or find anywhere else.