Also, the hidden pocket came in handy when I left what was then the Soviet Union with a cassette tape that a refusenik asked me to get out. She's in Israel now. Russia, I fear, is still in chains.

That parka is still the most useful garment I own. It has seen me through many a winter since. And a spring or two in colder climes. On cold nights I can sleep in it; it's more comfortable than a bedroll. Even in summer, the thought of it hanging in the back of the closet makes me feel prepared.

Don't turn on the television, except maybe during tornado season. There may be some exceptions to that rule ("Lonesome Dove," "The Forsyte Saga," "Sesame Street"), but in general TV is the greatest time-waster ever invented.

It's not the trash, the inanity, the shout shows, the sex-with-violence that's the worst thing about television. It's the escapism, the unspoken but all-permeating message that your life isn't the one worth watching.

The South will rise again, just not in the way anyone would have expected.

A capacity for surprise is the truest sign of the believer. 'Cause one never knows, do one?

Don't be embarrassed to change your mind. No one should have to live with a bad decision.

Pray. Pray to be shown how to pray. That may be the best prayer. Listen to Mahalia Jackson. You won't be able to without praying. "There are some things I may not know/ there are some places I can't go/ but I am sure of this one thing/ my God is real/ for I can feel/ him in my soul.[unital]

Stop now and then. The world is a conspiracy to keep us running instead of thinking. Or feeling.

Look before you leap, and he who hesitates is lost. Take your choice of those bromides. Or mix and match depending on the occasion.

And, oh yes, beware of old guys weaving maxims.