Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies: And Other Rituals to Fix Your Life, from Someone Who's Been There

by Tara Schuster

One of the ways I used to be cruelest to myself was when I shared information, secrets, or dreams with people who would treat my confidences with zero care.

Life is not a series of crises to be endured. Life is to be enjoyed. Please remember it when times are tough, but also when times are excellent.

I smile at strangers. I hold the door for the person behind me (though it should be noted I feel a spiteful rage when others don’t do the same for me; HOLD THE GODDAMN DOOR OPEN FOR OTHER PEOPLE).

DO NOT BECOME SOPHIE. Sophie is the girl standing in front of us in line at the wedding buffet talking endlessly about her juice cleanse and how it “totally and utterly” changed her life and how she “never really liked full meals anyway.” You “never really liked” meals, Sophie? YOU’VE NEVER FELT THE ECSTASY OF STRAIGHT-UP DESTROYING A FULL PIZZA, SOPHIE?! YOU HAVEN’T LIVED, SOPHIE!

Maya Angelou once wisely pointed out that “when someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”

The way a person treats you has almost nothing to do with you. It’s about them and their limitations.