Ann Patchett: Behold, These Precious Days

Bestselling novelist Ann Patchett knows how to walk right up to the edge with people she loves. She is the friend who sits with you during chemo, or lets you spill your secrets in the car. She shares what powerful lessons she learned early on about how to approach suffering with humility, knowing you can rarely change a life, but you can be there to witness and be amazed. In this episode, Kate and Ann discuss why no one cares what you write about (and why that should give you freedom), how to bear witness to someone’s life—even when you can’t change their circumstances, and why the question of the fullness of a life isn’t how long you live but something else entirely. CW: addiction, death of friends, cancer