Defining the Rules (The Dating Playbook #3)

by Mariah Dietz

“Look, I get it. Sometimes, it feels like the world is dumping on you, and you can’t get anything to go your way. We’ve all been there. But you have to see this as a challenge—a test from the cosmos or something to see if you can focus on the good that is beyond all the bad.”

“Because having a parent die—having a loved one die—it’s like you’re suddenly part of this club, and everyone looks at you differently, talks to you differently—acts differently. Jokes become filtered, and whenever someone says die, or death, or dead, everyone looks at you, waiting for you to break, so even if you felt okay upon hearing it, it doesn’t last because everyone’s waiting for you to prove you’re fine.

I realize with stark clarity that remembering my mom isn’t what hurts—forgetting her does.