The late Carrie Fisher was wise, funny, self-aware, flawed, passionate, and creatively productive.

Postcards From The Edge opened me to the humor in ego-driven dysfunction.

One of her life’s loves inspired a top ten all time favorite song for me, Paul Simon’s “Hearts And Bones.”

And in her one-woman HBO show Wishful Drinking, she dropped a line that still helps me stay on point. “Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.”

Damn skippy. Thanks for the thoughtful truths, Carrie.

And yeah, you looked awesome in the metal bikini too.

I have hurt someone, demeaned someone, and shown an ugly side of myself.

So now what can I do?

I can apologize to that person, as directly as possible.

I can be mindful to not give in to my need to joke and bond with the unworthy, sometimes at the risk of hurting someone publicly.

I can work harder to be the best version of myself, the one I strive to be all the time.

I can acknowledge that the culture I work in is often not welcoming to women, and is sometimes downright exclusionary, mean, and objectifying. I can try to be a healthy part of the conversation, and not part of the problem.

I can do the kind of things that feed my soul, remind me of what is just, and don’t need to be public.

I have sexualized, perverse human thoughts like just about everyone else. I can be more considerate when they rise to the surface. And I can stay out of the sewer when it rises towards me.

I can use any microphone or print platform I am fortunate enough to have to spread the right kind of thought process. Be kind. Be respectful.

Live, learn, keep going.