“Love is complicated, kiddo. You’ve gotta realize that. It’s not a feeling, it’s a choice, and if you’re loving someone who isn’t choosing you... you with all the fighting, with the yelling, with the midnight sobbing, with the frustration and... and the heartache and the desire to strangle them but kiss them all at once — if someone isn’t choosing you with all of that, despite it, with it, all of it, then walk away. Because love is complicated. It’s not always fuzzy. Love is a mess, and not a choice to be made alone.
“But remember that. During the fighting, the yelling, the midnight sobbing, the frustration: if someone is choosing you, all of you, — all the ugly, crappy parts too — then that means a lot. And you’re worth a lot. So don’t settle for any less than someone who’ll hold your hand through every season, both good and bad. Even if you fight, if you yell and cry away sleepless nights. That’s just how life goes. It’s never perfect. But it can be good. Just don’t allow yourself the heartache of choosing someone who isn’t choosing you.
“Also... don’t forget to choose yourself too, kiddo.”
