Deconstructed

by Liz Talley

Let us not ever forget cute as a qualification for everything in life.

Not his circus. Not his monkeys. And yet he waded into the fray like the ringmaster.

That I would not just let life happen to me but instead direct my life toward something better.

Yeah, falling out of love was like cleaning a window you didn’t know was dirty. Suddenly things were so clear.

Paper people are consumed by fire, dissipating into ash before scattering into the wind, never to be whole again. But others, those made of steel, used the fire to forge an edge. The heat hardened them, creating razor determination, melding them into something stronger.

She seemed to be the perfect balance of a woman who could gut you or smother you in a hug. Maybe at the same time.

Sometimes you gotta fix what’s behind you so you can look in front of you.

Without understanding who you are and accepting all the good and bad parts of your past, you don’t know the things worth keeping, and you can’t get rid of the things that need to be tossed. You can’t remake yourself.”

I guess we all find out in life that a little deconstructing—a bit of pulling away, examination, trimming, and refitting—helps us discover what will hold up. And if we’re lucky, we get a chance to become something even better.”