Hi. Welcome.

“You are not lost. You are here. Stop abandoning yourself. Stop repeating this myth about love and success that will land in your lap or evade you forever. Build a humble, flawed life from the rubble, and cherish that. There is nothing more glorious on the face of the earth than someone who refuses to give up, who refuses to give in to their most self-hating, discouraged, disillusioned self, and instead learns, slowly and painfully, how to relish the feeling of building a hut in middle of the suffocating dust.” — Heather Havrilesky, Ask Polly

this tumblr text post:

“To live in this world you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let it go, to let it go.” — Mary Oliver

From an interview with Kazu Makino:

Instructions On Not Giving Up, Ada Limon:

And this poster by Yumi Sakugawa

“You have to believe, in your heart, that even if you don’t work hard and exercise and think positive thoughts and make new friends and march triumphantly into the future, you are still enough. You will always have bad days. Being broken doesn’t make you a loser. You can crumble, and you will still be enough. Make that your religion moving forward. You are here to feel this moment. You are not here to become someone better. You are not here to impress or compete. You are not here to prove yourself. You are here to savor this life. Let down your guard. You are already enough. Believe it.” — Heather Havrilesky

“The first feminist gesture is to say: “Ok. They’re looking at me. But I’m looking at them.” The act of deciding to look, of deciding that the world is not defined by how people see me, but by how I see them.” -Agnès Varda

lyrics from the song Grow by The Oh Hellos:

“The world’s otherness is antidote to confusion, that standing within this otherness—the beauty and the mystery of the world, out in the fields or deep inside books—can re-dignify the worst-stung heart.” — Mary Oliver

Decided one night to get out of the house.

They found a nice spot to stare at the sky

Then sat in awed silence as the world swirled on by.

Finally little Mouse made a soft sighing squeak,

And his other three brothers saw a tear on his cheek.

“Why ever are you sad?” asked Bear in surprise,

Then handed him a hankey so he might dry his eyes.

After awhile Mouse quietly replied,

“It’s just big, big feels that I can’t keep inside.

“When I open my heart and let go of my fear

“It seems like the stars are ever so near.”

Then the other three nodded. They did understand.

The universe before them was lovely and grand.

So they pulled Mouse a bit closer, and they all gave him hugs,

And they watched the stars twinkle like bright lightning bugs.

And they all sat in silence and gazed at the skies,

Bunnies like leaves too