So much to think about here, Tressie. The concept of time and the impact of its perception on those who are always racing against it. I'm from the Northeast and have marveled at Southerners and their ability to just spend time with others, chatting in the sun as though they don't have a care in the world. How is it possible to do that without constantly running through a mental list of everything you should be doing?

When we first moved to Nashville in 1989 we went out to dinner at a restaurant called 101st Airborne. Dolly Parton walked into the dining room right in front of me. She just stood there for a second (while I was kicking my husband under the table), then she went to every table with a child and said hello. Turns out she was there for one of her nephew's birthday parties. Our server almost blew a gasket. She's a force in her tiny frame.