I drove home from the beach yesterday, through South Carolina and through most of North Carolina. I went through some tiny, cute towns that looked frozen in the 1940s. I saw trees covered with Spanish moss, which always makes everything look so graceful and romantic. I love long drives in my car–this one was about five hours. For the first three hours, I didn't listen to music or my audiobook–just drove in the silence and let the road unfurl before me.

Back at home I fell into familiar...