"In a word, a slice of perspective" by Mary Schmich

1.  The author wants the reader to feel reflective.  Reflective of their own lives.  And she wants the reader to put things in perspective and to appreciate what they have.  She wants them to not complain about what they don't have, but to appreciate what they do have.  She expresses this many times in the article, but it is perhaps most prevalent here:

"I think especially of my youngest sister, who is mentally disabled, who on an average day literally trembles with medicine and the fluctuations of a troubled mind. Her portion is so much smaller than mine that I want to rage against her unfair share as if it were my own. Her limited portion reminds me how capriciously big mine is." 

2.  The author wants the readers to remember that their 'portions' are greater than most, and that others have faced great hardships.  She wants them to appreciate their life, and all aspects of it.  She wants them to remember that not everyone gets the same portion, using potato chips as a model:

"She does. So many of us do. There's always somebody with more, with a bigger slice of brains and beauty, a bigger scoop of fame and money, a heftier helping of love and time. But in this world of cyclones and earthquakes, a lot of us have potato chips to spare."

3.  The purpose of this column is to make people think about what they have, and what others don't.  She wants them to think of recent natural disasters, and those who lost homes and loved ones from those disasters. She also wants them to think of things closer to home, like someone with a mental disorder.  The purpose of the column is to make people realize that they have more than they need, and that many others do not:

"[My mentally disabled sister] started talking about other mentally ill people she knows, ones abandoned by their families.

'Compared to them,' she said, 'I have a lot.' " 

4.  The author uses diction by making "portion" a gateway to a much more meaningful topic, analogous to Leonard Pitts' use of "The Secret Knowledge."  She uses syntax when she is frankly making a point that has been built up for a while, as she did in the last paragraph:

 "She does. So many of us do."

5.  The value of this column today is the same as it was in 2008: people need to appreciate what they have.  A real-world example that would apply to the column today is the Nepal earthquakes.   Natural disasters that have ruined and taken lives, lives that were unprepared for such an event.  Another example would be the Boston Marathon bombing.  Many people lost limbs, have PTSD, and a few lost their lives.

I recently started reading Bossypants by Tina Fey (30 Rock, Saturday Night Live).  Tina Fey talks about her odd experiences as a teenager, including befriending a 23-year-old lesbian couple.  She has expressed her views about life, gender roles, and much more in her edgy book.  She also talks about judgement, and offers these wise words of wisdom:

“To say I’m an overrated troll, when you have never even seen me guard a bridge, is patently unfair.”

This snippet is a microcosm of Tina Fey's brand of comedy: sarcastic, unexpected, and a little ironic.  This book is not as funny as her on-screen material, but it appeals to me more than any other comedic author whose books I have read, with the exception of Stephen Colbert.