One thing Uncle Alex "found objectionable about human beings," Vonnegut said, "is that they seldom took time out to notice they were happy." At those moments that many of us take for granted—such as drinking lemonade in the shade of an apple tree in summertime—Uncle Alex would interrupt the conversation with the phrase, 'If this isn't nice, what is?,' reminding the young Vonnegut to enjoy life's simple pleasures.

 
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