Sloughs, small pleasures, and three books to pull you from the depths

Why smaller is better when you're looking for the next step

I am instinctively an optimist, a yes woman, a sure-can-do, glass half full type. Not quite Pollyanna, who I’ve always thought veers perilously close to saintly and pious (and it really irks me when Miss Polly reverts to type in the sequel: has she learned nothing?), but the bright side is definitely my side.

I also feel it is my job to keep the family …