S.R. Crawford

“It is very sad that most of us just aren’t grateful for what we have. If you’re reading this, I think it’s safe to assume that you’re not homeless. You’re not blind. You might be ill, but you’re still alive. And yet, we find it hard to be thankful. To see the gift each day brings us. It is from this lack of true gratitude that we become sad. We have told ourselves over and over that we aren’t happy. That our lives aren’t good. That we’re no good.”

“The truth is scary. We all think we want it, but once it’s given, it’s harder to swallow than we originally thought. But sometimes, when the pain is too much, we have to be honest with ourselves. Why are we unhappy? Why are we scared? Is it internal, or external? Then when we find the answer, we need to accept it (see chapter 1), and make the necessary changes to fix it.”

“You can’t make a small world for yourself, because what are you going to do when that small world implodes?”

“I know you’re scared, Letti, but sweetheart…you haven’t seen anything yet. You’ve not known true fear...”

“You’re probably wondering what the heck I mean by “The Pillars of Your Life”, right? Well this is simple. It’s the things that make your life what it is. The things or people that make you, you. There’s work, family, your hobby, your art, and your traditions. Except, some of us have wonky pillars. Some of us give one pillar too much to hold, and the others not enough. One’s too tall, whilst the others are too small. Therefore we become unstable, and sometimes, everything comes crashing down.”

“A fortress doesn’t fall unless its towers are weakened.”

“How dare you come into my home? And hurt my family? I ought to tear your throat out right here, right now!”

“I’m trying to figure out if you know something that I don’t, or if you’re really this stupid. You might be older and therefore a lot stronger than I am, Sphinx, but I am a mother and a lot more pissed off than you.”

“For people like us, looking towards the future can feel daunting. It can literally make us feel sick to the stomach and often induces panic attacks. Trust me, I’ve been there; I get it. That’s why the far-future should never be at the top of our “to-plan” list. It’s alright to have goals but to stress ourselves out with plans and options and worries of the future is a good way to drive us crazy. However, there is one time when I want you to consider the future. Always have something to look forward to.”

“No matter who you are, everyone has a shadow; a constant darkness that follows them wherever they go…unless where you go is into the darkness itself, of course, because then you have already been consumed.”

“What do you want? What do you want?...To see the world burn, and a new one be born from the ashes…”

“A seed, in order to grow, must first be planted under the best conditions. Be that space or time. I think, therefore, that you have yet to find your perfect conditions.”

“Truth means facing denial and saying I know who I am, I know who I need to be and I’m not afraid to become that person no matter what...Never be without fear; but Letti, never be without fight.”

“…I bet I’ll haunt your dreams tonight. I just wan’ed to paint a picture in your head. I wan’ed you to see me as the monster I can often be. You see, you are what you allow people to know ‘bout you. Truth or lies or some combination of the two, is what makes you who you are. So, you don’t know me yet. But what I need you to know about me for now, is that I can’t be trusted.”

“Besides, men aren’t worth your time anyway, Letti. If we women spent as much time on ourselves as we do fretting over men, we’d be invincible! Work on yourself because at the end of the day, you’re the only person you can trust.”

“The world isn’t big enough for all of us.”

“There is a lot of negativity and bad habits that just need to be cut out of our lives. Sometimes we hold on tightly to the things that are actually causing us a lot of pain. We are our own worst enemy. We cling to all the wrong things. We subconsciously do things that are very bad for us, the worst being that we tell ourselves every day that “we’re not good enough” and “it’s our fault”. Well cut it out!”

“I never tolerate disrespect or betrayal”

“What is the date? What is the time? … Great, that’s what Now is. And every second, your ‘Now’ changes. Because all we have is Now. We are continuously living in the Now. Not yesterday, not tomorrow, but Now. Today. The present. And I need you to live in it. To truly appreciate it. To breathe and feel yourself breathing.”

“The flames of their passion illuminated the dimly lit room, filling it with a blazing fire which was either brilliantly beautiful or dangerously violent.”