An Optimist's Guide to Heartbreak (Heartsong, #1)

by Jennifer Hartmann

Deceptive Cadence: When you think something is coming to an end, it’s actually the beginning of something beautiful.

“That’s not true. Some things aren’t meant for us to get over.” His eyes slant, unconvinced. “I just mean…not everything that makes us hurt needs to be forgotten or banished. It hurts because it mattered. And things that mattered once, will always matter,”

“I think that’s the difference between a disaster and an adventure,” he says. “It’s the people you experience them with.”

It’s fascinating how two people burned from the same experience can come out on the other side with completely different scars.

Part of me wonders if he’s too busy being in a permanent state of just existing to put any effort into the little things that would help him come alive again.

Vulnerability is a gateway to attachment. Once someone unearths all your scratched, damaged bits, there’s no hiding them away again. They’re just there, out in the open, every flaw and defect on display. You lose a sense of control—and whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing, depends on the person doing the unearthing. It depends on how much you trust them with your imperfections.

Things that make us sad aren’t all bad. Sometimes, sad things serve as a gentle reminder that we still feel.