I carry in my wallet a picture of outer space ("Hubble Deep Field" if you're nutty that way). It brings me back to scale and reminds me to lighten up.

Wherever I find people bickering, I say, "Did you know that astronomers gauge the universe to be 100 billion light years across? If you turned on a flashlight and followed its beam for one full year, you'd just be someone with a long way to go."

They regard me cautiously, so I show them the picture.

"See if you can find Earth."

Some people humor me and look. Once in a while they have questions. Others aren't so prepared for the cosmos. They tell me to stick it where the sun don't shine. So I show them all the places where the sun don't shine and ask if they have a preference.

Then I run.