Natalie

“Things evolve into other things. Emotions do the same. Forever. Your best ally in all of these shifting seas is your faith in the fact that you are exactly where you are supposed to be. Stay put. Stay soft. Stay gentle and kind. Listen to your instincts. Meditate. Pray. Laugh as much as humanly possible. Pain is okay too. Say thank you for all of it. Feel proud that you have spent most of your life's energy on cultivating a strong connection to your own soul and the will of your heart. It is leading you somewhere deeply satisfying but never perfect. Observe what is painful right now and see if you can stay courageous enough to share it wholly and honestly. Invite it into your house and be a good student. You are a patchwork quilt of all these past selves, all these wounded little girls, and they are all here too, listening in some form or another. You have grown into someone I am very proud of, and though I wish I could give you the gift of knowing we won't ever need to have this conversation... that's not really the point, and probably not true.

The work is learning to love whatever it is, so for now let's do that, shall we?

I love you, my beautiful girl, and I hope that's enough.”
― Sara Bareilles, Sounds Like Me: My Life (So Far) in Song

“I hope these essays have been comforting to someone reading it if for no other reason than to watch me openly admit I have no idea what I’m doing. I suspect most people feel that way, even if they don’t fess up.”
― Sara Bareilles, Sounds Like Me: My Life (So Far) in Song

“You are exactly where you belong, and your tender heart is precious.”
― Sara Bareilles, Sounds Like Me: My Life (So Far) in Song

“Good stuff gets worse and bad stuff gets better, so you're better off to spend a little time making friends with all of it.”
― Sara Bareilles, Sounds Like Me: My Life (So Far) in Song