Funny Story

by Emily Henry

“So you haven’t moved on to the anger phase yet,” I say. He shrugs. “I don’t know if I have that phase in me.”

“I’m not moping. I just like sad music.”

All those moments throughout the days, weeks, months that don’t get marked on calendars with hand-drawn stars or little stickers. Those are the moments that make a life. Not grand gestures, but mundane details that, over time, accumulate until you have a home, instead of a house. The things that matter.

And a cynic is a romantic who’s too scared to hope.”

Life’s short enough without us talking ourselves out of hope and trying to dodge every bad feeling. Sometimes you have to push through the discomfort, instead of running.”

The same universe that dispassionately takes things away can bring you things you weren’t imaginative enough to dream up.

Things were allowed to be complicated. They were allowed to be messy.

We were allowed to disagree and argue and even hurt each other, on occasion, and it didn’t mean it was time to let the revolving door of life carry us away from each other. Sometimes things are hard. They just are.