I said, "I spent the day upstairs practicing the art of pure escapism from life's leftovers." She said, "A noble thing to do when many spend so much time making their selves the center of the universe." I asked, "Do you think it is because stories of wonder never received encouragement in each family of origin?" She answered, "Or, maybe there was no tree of life living in the middle of abandoned gardens behind their houses." I said, "As they say, Life requires mercy not sacrifice, in order for the self and others to thrive." She added, "Nothing like encouraging a bit of anthropological thinking to de-center us from ourselves."