She said writting novels was like childbirth: if you truly remembered how awful it got, you'd never do it again.

It was such a weird thing how a breakup stretched much wider than you expected. You didn't just lose a person, but their entire world as well.

Well, it's true that I have been hurt in my life. Quite a bit. But it's also true that I have loved, and been loved. And that carries a weight of its own. A greater weight, in my opinion. It's like that pie chart we talked about earlier. In the end, I'll look back on my life and see that the greatest piece of it was love. The problems, the divorces, the sadness... those will be there too, but just smaller slivers, tiny pieces.

You get what you give, but also what you're willing to take.

Only a real asshole takes liberties with someone else's car stereo. That's serious.

There's this other half of him I don't know of, it's like he is trying to keep it a secret... if he would just let me inside so I can help.

I wasn't ready for this, but then I probably never would be, and this year, like so much else, wouldn't wait. I had no choice but to get out of my car, with everyone watching and begin in earnest, alone. So I did