M

“To live, we must die every instant. We must perish again and again in the storms that make life possible.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Fragrant Palm Leaves: Journals, 1962-1966

“To Take Back a Life

First, you must learn desire. Hold its
fruit in your hands. Unmarry it from
the hunger to be held, to be wanted, to
be called from the streets like the family
dog. You are not a 'good girl.' You are not
somebody's otherness. This is not a dress
rehearsal before a better kind of life.

Pick up your heavy burdens and leave
them at the gate. I will hold the door for
you.”
― Kate Baer, What Kind of Woman: Poems

“If we think of happiness as a way of being, a way of being that gives you the resources to deal with the ups and downs of life, that pervades all the emotional states, including sadness. We think of sadness as incompatible with pleasure, but it’s compatible with what? With altruism, with inner strength, with inner freedom, with sense of direction and meaning in life — those aren’t sad things. But if you don’t fall in despair, still you maintain that wholeness and that sense of purpose and meaning.”
― Matthieu Ricard

“How to be weightless: Set fire to the clutter. Infuse boundaries. Allow music to linger long after it’s been felt. Soften. Rip old strings. Find sanctuaries. Touch thresholds. Soak in water. Know your rhythms. Read the words. Become the very poem itself.”
― Victoria Erickson, Rhythms and Roads