People changed. Even the people you thought you knew as well as you knew yourself.

You're unwilling to go out on a limb because it just might break underneath you.

I don’t think anyone who falls in love has a choice. You’re just pulled to that person like true north, whether it’s good for you or bound to break your heart.

Eventually, I told myself not to expect anything from him, and as a result it has gotten easier for me to take what comes.

Most people who offer their help do it to make themselves feel better, not us. To be honest, I don't blame them. It's superstition: If you give assistance to the family in need... if you throw salt over your shoulder... if you don't step on the cracks, then maybe you'll be immune. Maybe you'll be able to convince yourself that this could never happen to you.

It's crazy, right? To love someone who's hurt you? It's even crazier to think that someone who hurts you loves you.

I wondered how long it took for a baby to become yours, for familiarity to set in. Maybe as long as it took a new car to lose that scent, or a brand-new house to gather dust. Maybe that was the process more commonly described as bonding: the act of learning your child as well as you know yourself.