josephine.

A: An infinite number. This is not actually possible.

Wait, for now. Distrust everything, if you have to. But trust the hours. Haven't they carried you everywhere, up to now? Personal events will become interesting again. Hair will become interesting. Pain will become interesting. Buds that open out of season will become lovely again. Second-hand gloves will become lovely again, their memories are what give them the need for other hands. And the desolation of lovers is the same: that enormous emptiness carved out of such tiny beings as we are asks to be filled; the need for the new love is faithfulness to the old. Wait. Don't go too early. You're tired. But everyone's tired. But no one is tired enough. Only wait a while and listen. Music of hair, Music of pain, music of looms weaving all our loves again. Be there to hear it, it will be the only time, most of all to hear, the flute of your whole existence, rehearsed by the sorrows, play itself into total exhaustion. 

always, always, always match your cookies. 

important things to remember

my summer, summarized. 

The reality is—and this is the global lesson part, so pay attention: I was always that good. Wins are never assured, but I always had that potential. I just never let myself enjoy it, and that is a regret.”

LB: Oh, the most important—because this is one I didn’t follow. I let myself be discouraged by other people’s opinions at one point. I would say, Take what you can of criticism, but stick with your own gut feelings. That’s really, really important. I was discouraged for a long time before I came to that point, where I realized, “Hey, I’m writing for me,” and I didn’t care about [the rest]. I think that’s the most important—especially with all these workshops and all these people telling you different things about your work and what you should do. Sometimes I feel really sorry for students in workshop because everyone has a different take. Just keep on writing and take what you can get, but when you feel good about a piece, keep that and remember that. Don’t let anybody take it away. That’s the most important thing, and the one I’ve seen people go down under. They didn’t stick it out through one more rejection. That little cleaning lady story got 13 rejections, and somehow… I love that story, and I let myself feel good about it. And just that fact kept me writing more stories.