Matchmaking for Beginners

by Maddie Dawson

“Oh, I meant to tell you. You need a mantra to help you. You can borrow mine, if you want: ‘Whatever happens, love that.’”

And anyway, I’ve made nice with trouble my whole life, and I’ve noticed that what happens is that problems just curl right up like declawed kittens and nestle at your feet and fall asleep. Later, you look down, and they’ve wandered off somewhere. You bid them a fond farewell and get back to what you wanted to do in the first place.

So I am going to die. Most natural thing in the world to have happen. Life ends. And I’m okay with that. It’s just a change of address, really. It doesn’t have to be awful.

“I want you to look very carefully around you. Because everything is about to change. Your whole life, all of it. You need to notice it just the way it is right now. Will you do that?”