[quinntorre]

Remember the good in people - Their energy, the lilt in their voice, How they say 'thank you' - The way the light shone On their eyes - The way they laugh - Remember these instead of Their flaws.

[quinntorre]

What my mother taught me about marriage

Marriage is about necessities. When he calls, the conversation doesn't go long because you don't have anything else to talk about other than where the money for the month went. And if the kids are all home. Marriage is about sacrifices. You sacrifice your job so you can take care of the kids. You sacrifice your dreams for the future of the children. You sacrifice togetherness for money. You sacrifice your health for your children's health. Marriage is about measurements. Who sacrificed more time and money? Who made all of their beds and washed all their clothes? Who held the spoon that fed them? Who taught them how to read and write their names? Who taught them how to sacrifice their dreams for a better paying job so they can repay what has been sacrificed in the past?

[quinntorre]

When your mother is the enemy

Just because you never wore a bikini when you were younger doesn’t mean I can’t wear one. — You told me my hips are getting bigger. And there’s nothing I can do about them - my birthing hips - because at my age you already had two children while I’m not even sure I want one. — I used to hate my body. Because my arms and legs are thick and my stomach is round. I used to starve myself. But I have learned how to love myself because these are the arms that hold up the weight of a first born’s burdens and these legs are the legs that can sprint towards sunrise. And these hips - these hips are what hinges me to the earth. — Sexuality isn’t about having the perfect body. It’s about respecting each line and curve. It’s about allowing yourself to feel pleasure without feeling guilty. — Just because you’re a desexualized woman who carries guilt like a badge doesn’t mean I should be one, too. — You told me certain shades of red on a woman’s lips are an invitation for the wrong type of man. So I only swipe my lips with color when I step out the door. The darker, the better. And I would see other women wearing the same shade of red and think, “We must all be doomed.” And I wipe it off before I get to the front door. — I met him at a house party. He was sweating from the summer heat and smoking to shake off his nerves. He has kind eyes and a soft voice. And the kind of man whose looks did not deceive. When we first kissed, he got just a little bit of lipstick on his face. Just a little bit. — I can never be truly free with you and me sharing the same space. I’m imprisoned by all your false beliefs - about yourself and about the daughter you think you have. — You don’t know who your daughter really is.

[quinntorre]

Your hands Are like The ocean's Tiny peaks On my back - Caressing me Back to shore After the chaos Of a storm.

[quinntorre]

I find comfort In knowing that The same sea That has parted us Is the same sea That will bring you Home to me.

[quinntorre]

Home is every time I hear you say Hello?

[quinntorre]

I've dealt with many difficult things and those have made me strong. I find it funny that I can power through heartbreak and emotional turmoil but jump at my own shadow.

[quinntorre]

farm shed concerto

the string of lights glowed and led to the strings in your hand, the strands of your hair and your bare feet saying, stomping, hallelujah!

[quinntorre]

religion

I’ll take you to church today,

she said.

I have to ask for the money we need

to buy the food we need

for the next 10 years.

I have to say thank you

for helping you pass that test

for helping you get a job

for keeping us safe

when we went and swam

with the whalesharks.

I’ll teach you how to pray

so you can do the same

for yourself, for your wife

for your future son

and daughter.

I’ll teach you how to pray

and how to pay your dues

and how to bow your head.

This is how you burn a candle.

And this is how you snuff it out.

This is how I pray -

the only way I was taught how.

[quinntorre]

you were home

even before

you said

you loved me.

you were home

at our second

life encounter,

when we were too shy

to meet each other's eyes

(because they've never met before).

you were home

when you said

you wanted to

grab dinner and

you sat across from me,

watching me eat my noodles.

you were home

on our first time to

walk side-by-side,

hands not touching -

and you were home when you

first touched

the small of my

back.

I think

you were home

all along.

[quinntorre]

You ruin your life by desensitizing yourself. We are all afraid to say too much, to feel too deeply, to let people know what they mean to us. Caring is not synonymous with crazy. Expressing to someone how special they are to you will make you vulnerable. There is no denying that. However, that is nothing to be ashamed of. There is something breathtakingly beautiful in the moments of smaller magic that occur when you strip down and are honest with those who are important to you. Let that girl know that she inspires you. Tell your mother you love her in front of your friends. Express, express, express. Open yourself up, do not harden yourself to the world, and be bold in who, and how you love. There is courage in that.

— Bianca Sparacino, How To Ruin Your Life (Without Even Noticing That You Are)

[quinntorre]

I wish we could see auras instead of skin color. I wish intelligence was a light that can easily be seen in our eyes and heard in our voices. I wish more people respected intelligence and intelligent conversations. I wish more people practiced compassion and generosity. I wish more people believed in the value of enduring pain and transcending it. I wish more people withheld judgement. I wish people didn't make judgements at all.

[quinntorre]

Flight pattern

the free bird

trusts in the strength

of her wings

and weaves dreams

in her flight -

the free bird

knows there is no need

to hurry -

she will catch

that worm tomorrow,

she will make

her own bed on

that sturdy branch,

she will lay

the eggs -

and teach them

how to be free.

[artemisstarshine]

Buddha

[quinntorre]

Exactly my state of mind at the moment.

[quinntorre]

Love is what we were born with. Fear is what we learned here.

Marianne Williamson

[books-n-quotes]

I read once that the ancient Egyptians had fifty words for sand & the Eskimos had a hundred words for snow. I wish I had a thousand words for love, but all that comes to mind is the way you move against me while you sleep & there are no words for that.

Brian Andreas, Story People: Selected Stories & Drawings of Brian Andreas (via books-n-quotes)

Ugh. This.

[quinntorre]

Current mood.