Arthur's ennui was like an itchy wool sweater he couldn't shed.

She continued to feel like a slacker even as she stepped up to the podium to accept the prestigious award.

The dog, previously beaten and brutalized, had become, in his new home, a sponge that soaked up every drop of affection he could get.

The old reporter felt like he'd been writing the same stories on two-faced politicians, dirtbag criminals, and a failed justice system for decades with only a few changes, like names and dates, needed in each new piece.

That day spent on the beach with their toes rooting in the sand, watching dolphins frolic in the sun-dappled sea was one they wouldn't soon forget. 

"I learned by example," he told the judge with a smile,"after all getting ahead by any means necessary is the American way."

It wasn't until years after first hearing the song—decades spent growing, learning, hurting, living—that she finally began to understand what the lyrics meant.