There was the woman I was before my mom died and the one I was now, my old life sitting on the surface of me like a bruise. - Cheryl Strayed

That place of true healing is a fierce place. It’s a giant place. It’s a place of monstrous beauty and endless dark and glimmering light. And you have to work really, really, really hard to get there, but you can do it.

Trust yourself. It’s Sugar’s golden rule. Trusting yourself means living out what you already know to be true.

Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves, and so I chose to tell myself a different story from teh one women are told. I decided I was safe. I was strong. I was brave.