These words made me smile, inside and out:

“I have all I need and so much of what I want.”

“It’s comforting to know that life doesn’t have to follow all my plans in order to be exactly what I need.”

- “On being twenty-six” by your wishcake

Is true love when two people fit together perfectly, naturally, and easily?

Or is it when two people don’t necessarily fit, but they are committed to making their relationship work, against the odds?

The voltage between their jadedness and my innocence was bound to make one of us unhappy and it wasn’t going to be them.

(author Jonathan Franzen in an interview)

Sometimes I wish I could forget. But then would I un-learn the lessons I paid for so dearly?

It’s not that I’m bitter (except, maybe I am just a little). And it’s not that I would do things differently (because I don’t think I was wrong). But I can’t help looking back on that time — not often, but more often than I’d like.

Sometimes it’s hard to forget the people they used to be.

Sometimes I don’t recognize myself in the person they almost made me become.

Yes, this post was inspired by the Miley Cyrus song. (Hey, it’s a good one!)

First, 7 things I hate about “you”:

1. talks big
2. judgmental
3. homebody
4. harsh
5. easily distracted
6. incompetent
7. prefers the easy road

More importantly, 7 things I like about “you”:

1. dreams big
2. open minded
3. adventurous
4. sympathetic
5. dogged/determined
6. can do anything
7. not afraid of the hard way

(Can you guess who “you” is?)

I think it’s wise to remember that everyone has good and bad in them. Including “you.” Also, that good and bad (usually) take turns in a person – from day to day, year to year, second to second. It’s a constant struggle, and it’s what makes life worth living. We are always striving to be better, to do better. And at the end of the day, the year, or our lifetime, the goal is to have more things under the Like column than the Hate column. In a way, it’s that simple.

Last time I went home my mommy remarked that I grew taller. Keep in mind I’m already relatively tall. But there was no way, I concluded, because by this point I couldn’t possibly be growing. One day I stood next to my supervisor and she looked up and commented if I grew because I looked taller. Then after visiting my cousins again, they asked if I had gotten taller.

This weekend I happened to get measured and lo and behold–as my supervisor said, “You came to New York and grew an inch? I feel like I’m shrinking!”

Not going to lie, it’ll be pretty cool to be 5’10″ next year if this keeps going.