As You Wish

“Do you truly want my judgement?” I asked.
That caught his attention. His eyes grew clearer, sharper. I wondered if he realized he was awake, but his eyes held a fevered intensity that I doubted he would let me witness if he thought this was real instead of a dream.
“Yes,” he answered, very quietly, so quiet I could barely hear.
“You aren’t a good person, but I think that you could be if you tried. So perhaps you should try.”
For a long time, he didn’t respond. It wasn’t until I stood up to leave the room that he spoke.
“Thank you,” he said softly and seemed to mean it.”
― Margaret Rogerson, Vespertine

“Loving ourselves and each other deepens our disruption of the dominant systems. They want us unwell, fearful, exhausted, and without deep self-love because you are easier to manipulate when you are distracted by what is not real or true.”
― Tricia Hersey, Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto

“You see, here is the Lady’s grace. It has been here all along. She has shown me Her grace in a drink of water when I was thirsty and bread when I was hungry and a bed when I was tired, not through miracles, but through the kindness of those who stood to gain nothing from helping me. It is through the hands of strangers that She has carried out Her will.”
― Margaret Rogerson, Vespertine

“Self-compassion is letting yourself off the hook, letting yourself be human and flawed and also amazing. It’s giving yourself credit for showing up instead of beating yourself up for taking so long to get there.”
― Shauna Niequist, I Guess I Haven't Learned That Yet: Discovering New Ways of Living When the Old Ways Stop Working