Atmosphere

by Taylor Jenkins Reid

You see, once you start observing the night sky, you begin to orient yourself in time and space.

Nothing you or I could do will ever alter them. They are so much bigger than us. And they will not change within our lifetime. We can succeed or fail, get it right or get it wrong, love and lose the ones we love, and still the Summer Triangle will point south. And in that way, I know everything will be some type of okay—as impossible as that can seem sometimes.

‘You have to have something on the line, for it to be called character.’ ”

The space between you and the star is time.

Bravery is being unafraid of something other people are afraid of. Courage is being afraid, but strong enough to do it anyway.”

running so far that she forgot to think,

No offense, but I could be at home right now with a good book.”

Being willing to make a mistake got you further than never trying.

Bravery, Joan suspected, is almost always a lie. Courage is all we have.

for fourteen minutes, try to calm down, and then you can go right back to shoving coal up your butt and pulling out diamonds.”

“But then again, it’s also the first time jelly beans are going to space, so pray for the jelly beans,”

“What is happening?” “I’m hugging you.” “Why?” “I don’t know.” Lydia didn’t pull away. She relaxed into it. “I hate this.”

“Happiness is so hard to come by. I don’t understand why anyone would begrudge anyone else for managing to find some of it.”

Space belonged to no one, but Earth belonged to all of them.

Because I do not know how to live my life without you. Because I don’t even recognize the person I was before I loved you.

“Houston, I deeply regret any pain that will be caused by what I must do.”

Joan understands that God gave her something spectacular. A love, and a life, beyond the confines of her imagination.