A few years ago I was surfing the Internet on a Friday afternoon and discovered a contest asking amateurs to make TV commercials for a famous ketchup brand. The prize was several thousand dollars, and your commercial would actually run on television. Instantly I had an idea for a romantic comedy in which ketchup brought two young lovers together. Romance was on my mind; I had recently started dating someone with whom I was very interested.

I saw six people huddled on the sidewalk in front of me; through their legs I saw what looked like a body on the ground. I rushed over to see what was going on. I saw a man with a bloody gash on his head; he appeared to be unconscious. I pushed through and started checking him out using my Boy Scout first-aid training. His clothes were filthy and tattered, and he smelled bad, but a quick examination showed that his wound was not very deep.

“I hate you! I’m going to kill you tonight after you fall asleep,” screamed 9-year-old Jerry to his foster mother. It was hard to believe such hateful words could come from this adorable child with big blue eyes and an impish face.

Once upon a time, I met a beautiful, charming, and witty woman and fell deeply in love. During the months we dated I was the consummate romantic. I brought her flowers, wrote heartfelt love letters, and on occasion even sang to her. At one point she remarked that no one had ever treated her better. Then suddenly and unexpectedly she left me. I was devastated. When I asked her why, she replied, “You never listened to me.”