“Some instructions on writing and life”

“On a bad day you […] don’t need a lot of advice. You just need a little empathy and affirmation. You need to feel once again that other people have confidence in you.”

“A big heart is both a clunky and a delicate thing; it doesn’t protect itself and it doesn’t hide. It stands out, like a baby’s fontanel, where you can see the soul pulse through.” 

“[…] I don’t think you have time to waste on someone who doesn’t respond to you with kindness and respect. You don’t want to spend your time around people who make you hold your breath. You can’t fill up when you’re holding your breath.”

“You’ll know when the person is right for you and when you are right for that person. It’s not unlike finding a mate, where little by little you begin to feel that you’ve stepped into a shape that was waiting there all along.” 

[Some excerpts from Anne Lamott’s book Bird by bird — Some instructions on writing and life]