“Over time, I have learned that any underused, or overused, emotion can lead to voids within the human soul. “

“The only arms I was now allowed to bear were those of humility and vulnerability; both of which felt like I was surviving surgery without proper anesthetic.”

“…in order for her to find the beauty she was desperate to find, she had to admit some ugly truths about herself along the way.”

“The same exact place we shared the excitement of an unexpected life would now become the place we would grieve the unexpected loss of a life unlived.”

“Self-Discovery. Though it sounds like such a whimsical and adventurous process to dive in and unveil the person you were meant to be to this world; it’s not quite as magical when one discovers that person is socially awkward to her core.”

“I had this group of people that wanted to be a safe place for me, and it frankly pissed me off how hard it was to ‘protect’ them from my own pain.”

“The truth about real life is that we are hardly ever fully prepared to be the person we want to become.”

“Dear Ivy,

Stay confident in your call and let the chains of social expectations fall.”

“Emotions are not the enemy, but they are not the savior either. “

“We might have fallen into love, but falling didn’t get us very far.”

“This was the moment I decided my anxiety deserved to be respected. “

“Our memories are fortified with meaning far greater than physical time together; when they are threaded with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness and goodness, those things are sewn into the earth’s fibers able to be accessed by those that are left behind.”

“The crowds of the world carried the perceptions I valued so dearly, and it was my responsibility to avoid any image of weakness they had to offer.”