Ira Smith

“He didn't mind, though. He hardly noticed at all. Because that's the thing about hope--when it seems that there's no point in moving, it pushes us so forcefully that we come to feel like we /need/ it to keep going...

And that's what hope really is, after all. An anesthetic. Something that takes the sharp edges of reality out of focus just enough that we can keep looking at it, keep moving forward with steps that are guided by the assurance that every inch of ground can't possibly be covered in broken glass. And then when it /is/--- when your feet are left as coiled ribbons of wet skin-- you forget what guided you there in the first place.”
― Dathan Auerbach, Bad Man

“When Sybil died, everyone said that the grief would get better over time, but that hadn’t happened. What I discovered was that sadness is like an abandoned car left out in a field for good - it changes a little over the years, but doesn’t ever disappear. You may forget about it for a while, bit it’s still there, rusting away, until you notice it again.”
― David Heska Wanbli Weiden, Winter Counts