History tells us that societies rise and societies fall, and this cycle happens repeatedly. Do we always have to be nostalgic about how things used to be? Or is the sign of true greatness cultivating an understanding and acceptance that people evolve and what matters to the individual and to the collective changes over time?

Steve and Claire are at Julia's bedside when she makes an interesting request.

This past Wednesday evening, I had the distinct pleasure of seeing the current Broadway revival of The Color Purple. I went with a friend from work who I often see theatre with, andthese artistic experiences that we have together fuel all sorts of discussions and thinking that we do about current events, cultural trends, and social justice issues. Given our interests and past production choices, The Color Purple seemed like a great choice.

The morning is not my best time, as most of my tolerance levels are lower earlier in the morning, so I'm not the most pleasant person if someone crosses me. After the spin class, I was waiting in line to use one of the four showers at this spin studio, and it was an exceptionally busy morning. It seemed like many of the people in line knew each other somehow, and they were chatting up a storm. The line had kind of split in two, and as I moved my bag forward, this young woman shot me a look, which I interpreted as "You're butting in line." So since I had some extra time this morning and the line order was ambiguous, I let her and her friend assume the next two places.

A flashback reveals something about Julia's secret.