Lynn

“If our cerebellum were connected to our brain, we would possess full knowledge of our own anatomy, of what was happening inside our bodies. Oh, we'd say to ourselves, the level of potassium in my blood has fallen. My third cervical vertebra is feeling tension. My blood pressure is low today, I must move about, and yesterday's egg salad has sent my cholesterol level too high, so I must watch what I eat today. We have this body of ours, a troublesome piece of luggage, we don't really know anything about it and we need all sorts of tools to find out about its most natural processes”
― Olga Tokarczuk, Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead

“I had henna done once at a street fair outside the bookstore where I worked in high school," Zoey said. "Vines, all down my fingers, like that. Only not as pretty as yours."
"Vines symbolize perseverance," Charlotte said. "Flowers mean joy. The sun represents eternal love. And the moon, here, is the power of change." She pointed to her knee. "Birds are supposed to be messengers between heaven and earth." She indicated a peacock on the other knee. Birds had always been her favorite to draw. Then she touched a circle on her leg at the hem of her cutoffs. "This is a mandala. It represents the universe."
Zoey looked impressed. "I had no idea it all meant something."
Charlotte put her hands back in her pockets. "In all my years, I've never encountered something that doesn't mean anything.”
― Sarah Addison Allen, Other Birds: A Novel

“Second chances are not to be wasted. It is one of the most valuable lessons we can learn in life.”
― Sarah Addison Allen, Other Birds: A Novel

“Keep passing the open windows.”
― John Irving, The Hotel New Hampshire