When I was in high school, a friend gave me a copy of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. I could never again take the melodrama of my teen years quite as seriously. That book gave me perspective. Today, Judith Viorst is nearly 90 and she has advice for my later years: “I’ve found that a little surplus of gratitude often has downstream effects, helping us become more tolerant, less judgmental, more forgiving of family and friends when they annoy or neglect us, hurt our feelings, or let us down. It’s tempting to add up their failures and flaws and compare them with our far superior selves, but we make a big mistake if we do. For while most of the folks in our life can, on occasion, be pains in the ass, so—let’s face it—can I and so can you. Figuring out that we, like they, are in need of a lot of acceptance and forgiveness can make for a happier old (or any) age.” Read the full text of “How to Be Happy, According to Nearly 90-Year_Old Judith Viorst.” I am grateful for the wisdom of an author who made a difference in my life. She’s an Extraordinary Woman.