This was no accident.

“Being raised in an unstable household makes you understand that the world doesn’t exist to accommodate you, which… is something a lot of people struggle to understand well into their adulthood. It makes you realize how quickly a situation can shift, how danger really is everywhere. But crises when they occur, do not catch you off guard; you have never believed you lived under a shelter of some essential benevolence. And an unstable childhood makes you appreciate calmness and not crave excitement.”

“Listen to me, your body is not a temple. Temples can be destroyed and desecrated. Your body is a forest — thick canopies of maple trees and sweet scented wildflowers sprouting in the underwood. You will grow back, over and over, no matter how badly you are devastated.”

“I’ve got a bad case of the 3:00 am guilts - you know, when you lie in bed awake and replay all those things you didn’t do right? Because, as we all know, nothing solves insomnia like a nice warm glass of regret, depression and self-loathing.”

“You can’t just make me different and then leave. You can’t. You can’t change me and make my whole life centered around you, then leave.”

“I guess my life hasn’t always been happy, or easy, or exactly what I wanted. At a certain point, I just have to try not to think too much about certain things, or else they’ll break my heart.”

“I’m like that. Either I forget right away or I never forget.”

“You never realize the holes a person leaves behind until you fall into them.”

“A gentle reminder that your heart is a muscle and so should be exercised regularly. Love often and love deeply.”

“She tries her best, but it hurts her chest.”

“Life is short. Spend it with people who make you laugh, and feel loved.”

“Don’t turn people into your home, or you’ll end up homeless.”

“When you look at your life and feel at peace because of changes you’ve made, that’s recovery.”

“Eventually soulmates meet, for they have the same hiding place.”

“All the hardest, coldest people you meet were once as soft as water. And that’s the tragedy of living.”

“Someone who is worthy of your love will never put you in a situation where you feel you must sacrifice your dignity, your integrity, or your self worth to be with them.”

“Learn to give people up before they hurt you beyond repair. Even if they tell you they will change. Even if they tell you that they love you. Just remember, love isn’t meant to be permanently damaging. Love is meant to aid your healing.”