"I believe I deserve something beautiful" -Elizabeth Gilbert
The standards for dating, in my eyes, have been playing a game of limbo for years: how low can you go? How low can you go? And yet when you try to stick to a higher principle, it can seem discouraging because that immediately shrinks the eligible bachelor pool down to 1.5 men in a 100 mile radius. Yet I have decided that when I am ready for another go-around on the roller-coaster of romance, I will not settle for less than I deserve.
My most recent breakup has led me to contemplate all of my past relationships. When you're in smack in the middle and full of new love, they seem amazing. When they're removed from your life, you sob in wrenching pain; eventually, months later, you wonder what you ever saw in them and roll your eyes at your past self and her choices. But for me, years down the road, I am thankful for all of my failed relationships because they each have shaped a part of who I am.
Your happiness is like an old, hand-pieced multicolored quilt that has been in your family for generations. It blankets everything. It is handmade. No one else has one just like it.
A broken heart is made up of muffled sobs and hot tears pouring down your face. It's made up of deep shuddering breaths and wiping the back of your hand across your nose, heedlessly smearing snot across your cheek. It's made up of red, swollen eyes and deep breaths that end when another wave of hurt crashes over you like the slap of the ocean on a windy day.
The ability to have a career where I am able to get a taste of pretty much every other job on the planet is a beautiful thing. The best thing is, while I'm teaching my students, they're really teaching me.
Having things taken out of your hands is not a stop sign for the determined, but merely a moment to pause and look at the compass before forging on ahead.
Overall, even though my mother has given me invaluable lessons, the biggest gift she has given me is simply being herself.
Life is a series of mistakes for everyone. The hard lessons are only given to those brave enough to step outside their comfort zone.
You cannot sustain a relationship on sex alone. This is akin to trying to survive on eating nothing but cookies, candy, and cake.
While reaching the Goldilocks sweet spot can be tough, it is the attitude that wins the offer letter AND the 2 second text response.
Hannah Elizabeth 