Growth

And that is how you climb the mountain. Not by dreaming of being at the top, but by doing each day what needs to be done.

The useless days will add up to something. The shitty waitressing jobs. The hours writing in your journal. The long meandering walks. The hours reading poetry and story collections and novels...

Hello, fear. Thank you for being here. You're my indication that I'm doing what I need to do.

The most beautiful part of your body is where it's headed.

Wherever a horse lies down, a road will follow.

I don't know why people are so loathe to say they have bad habits. It feels like something we should all collectively admit.

You learn to build a life after the horrors and disasters, after all the hurt and the pain that life will inevitably bring, if you're an active participant in your own life.

I embrace the label of bad feminist because I am human. I am messy. I'm not trying to be an example. I am not trying to be perfect. I am not trying to say I have all the answers.

I'm not quite the same kind of Catholic as I was in my youth. I was raised in the church in a very conservative family. I don't have a hatred of organized religion, but I don't know if I have a love of it either.

I don't want kids, and I had a come-to-Jesus moment when I realized that's okay.

You learn from the part of the story you focus on.

There is nothing stronger than a broken woman who has rebuilt herself.

The hardest part has been realizing that this is the new normal.

No matter where you are, whether it's the biggest city or the smallest village, the local church is where you grow.

Every dive is a chance to challenge myself and grow.

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.

Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.

I learn from both victories and defeats.

Pressure is a privilege; it means you’re in a position to do great things.

Every failure is a stepping stone to success; don't be afraid to fall, be afraid not to try.