I said something so true it was mean.
But Beckett, for all his posturing, talked in scribbles. He gave lines of information with gaping spaces in between.
Whales have a highly evolved language that works like sonar. They have special neurons called spindle cells. Human have them, too, and they’re linked with self-awareness, and compassion, and language. Except whales have had them about fifteen million years longer than we have.
In some ways, if I’m honest, giving up felt good. It certainly took the pressure off. Staying hopeful was exhausting.
But you have to live the life you have. You have to find inspiration in the struggle, and pull joy out of the hardship. That’s what we try to do – counterbalance the suffering with laughter, fuzzy blankets, hugs, sing-alongs, sunny-day picnics, chocolate chip cookies, and wildflowers. Because that’s all we can do:.
I would never tell you that the life you wanted couldn’t have been exactly as great as you planned. But you have to live the life you have. You have to find inspiration in the struggle, and pull joy out of the hardship. That’s what we try to do – counterbalance the suffering with laughter, fuzzy blankets, hugs, sing-alongs, sunny-day picnics, chocolate chip cookies, and wildflowers. Because that’s all we can do: carry the sorrow when we have to, and absolutely savor the joy when we can.
Love is always a disaster, darling. That’s what makes it fun.
Longing for you gave me something to hope for. Even when it was hopeless.
I wondered if stating a preference to the universe just dared it to mess with me.
Needing to find a reason to live had forced me to build a life worth living. I would never say the accident was a good thing. I would never claim that everything happens for a reason. Like all tragedies, it was senseless. But the one thing I knew for sure: The greater our capacity for sorrow becomes, the greater our capacity for joy.
I’d saved her, but she’d saved me right back.
Is everything perfect? Hell, no. Everything’s a mess. A crazy, galloping, heartbreaking mess. You can’t fix everything. Not even close. But you can look for reasons to be grateful. More than that, you can work to create them.
Happiness is more about appreciation than acquisition.
There’s so much death in that world, but laughter is life. You need it.
The more connection I got, the more I wanted. You know, like when you take a nap, but when you wake up you’re somehow sleepier than you were before? That was me, all the time – with humanity.
Pay attention to the things that connect you with joy.
I’m not happy because it comes easily to me. I bite and scratch and claw my way toward happiness every day.
Joy is an antidote to fear. To anger. To boredom. To sorrow.
The point is to be happy anyway. As often as you can.
Love makes you better because it’s hard. Taking risks makes you better because it’s terrifying. That’s how it works. You’ll never get anything that matters without earning it. And even what you get” – she lifted her chin in defiance – “you won’t get to keep. Joy is fleeting. Nothing lasts. That’s exactly what courage.