This has been a difficult week for both Payson and me. Disappointments and so-called ‘bad’ phases have a way of clustering together and happening all at once. Payson had some ‘surus’ (Yiddish word for trouble in the mind) this week, related to relationships and projects falling apart; I had a rejection for my most recent book from a publisher I was hoping would publish it. We were both quite quiet at dinner, when we both hit on the idea of opening a bottle of wine. After we had poured it into our goblets and clunked them together, P said, ‘Here’s to . . .’ and I said, ‘failure! That way we’ll have more to celebrate!’