Slammed

“Don't take life too seriously. Punch it in the face when it needs a good hit. Laugh at it.”

“There are three questions every woman should be able to answer yes to before they commit to a man. If you answer no to any of the three questions, run like hell."[...]"Does he treat you with respect at all times? That's the first question. The second question is, if he is the exact same person twenty years from now that he is today, would you still want to marry him? And finally, does he inspire to be a better person? You find someone you can answer yes to all three, then you've found a good man.”

“I got schooled this yearbyaboy.A boy that I'm seriously, deeply, madly, incredibly, and undeniably in love with.And he taught me the most important thing of all...To put the emphasisOn life .”

“Question everything. Your love, your religion, your passion. If you don't have questions, you'll never find answers.”

“So you keep your ocean, I'll take the Lake.”

“Push your boundaries, that's what they're there for.”

“Imperfections define perfection”

“Sometimes life gets in your way. it gets all up in your damn way. But it doesn't get all up in your damn waybecause it wants you to just give up and let it take control. Life doesn't get all up in your damn way because it just wants you to hand it all over and be carried along. Life wants you to fight itLearn how to make it your own. it wants you to grab and axe and hack through the wood. It wants you to get a sledgehammer and break through concrete. It wants you to grab a torch and burn through the metal and steel until you can reach through and grab it. Life wants you to grab all the organized, the alphabetized, the chronological, the sequenced. It wants you to mix it all together, stir it up, blend it.”

“To my babies, Merry Christmas. I'm sorry if these letters have caught you both by surprise. There is just so much more I have to say. I know you thought I was done giving advice, but I couldn't leave without reiterating a few things in writing. You may not relate to these things now, but someday you will. I wasn't able to be around forever, but I hope that my words can be. -Don't stop making basagna. Basagna is good. Wait until a day when there is no bad news, and bake a damn basagna. -Find a balance between head and heart. Hopefully you've found that Lake, and you can help Kel sort it out when he gets to that point. -Push your boundaries, that's what they're there for. -I'm stealing this snippet from your favorite band, Lake. "Always remember there is nothing worth sharing, like the love that let us share our name." -Don't take life too seriously. Punch it in the face when it needs a good hit. Laugh at it. -And Laugh a lot. Never go a day without laughing at least once. -Never judge others. You both know good and well how unexpected events can change who a person is. Always keep that in mind. You never know what someone else is experiencing within their own life. -Question everything. Your love, your religion, your passions. If you don't have questions, you'll never find answers. -Be accepting. Of everything. People's differences, their similarities, their choices, their personalities. Sometimes it takes a variety to make a good collection. The same goes for people. -Choose your battles, but don't choose very many. -Keep an open mind; it's the only way new things can get in. -And last but not least, not the tiniest bit least. Never regret. Thank you both for giving me the best years of my life. Especially the last one. Love, Mom”

“Choose your battles, but don't choose very many.”

“According to the thesaurus... and according to me... there are over thirty different meanings and substitutions forthe wordmean.(I quickly yell the following words; the entire class flinches- including Will)Jackass, jerk, cruel, dickhead, unkind, harsh, wicked,hateful, heartless, vicious, virulent, unrelenting, tyrannical, malevolent, atrocious, bastard, barbarous, bitter, brutal, callous, degenerate, brutish, depraved, evil, fierce, hard, implacable, rancorous, pernicious, inhumane, monstrous, merciless, inexorable.And my personal favorite—asshole.”

“Find a balance between head and heart.”

“If I live the life I'm given, I won't be scared to die.”

“Never judge others. You both know good and well how unexpected events can change who a person is. Always keep that in mind. You never know what someone else is experiencing within their own life.”

“Life happens. Shit happens. And it happens a lot. To a lot of people.”

“BLUE SWEATERBom Bom...Bom Bom...Bom Bom...Do you hear that?That's the sound of my heart beating...Bom Bom...Bom Bom...Bom Bom...Do you hear that? That's the sound of your heart beating.It was the first day of October. I was wearing my blue sweater, you know the one I bought at Dillard’s? The one with a double knitted hem and holes in the ends of the sleeves that I could poke my thumbs through when it was cold but I didn't feel like wearing gloves? It was the same sweater you said made my eyes look like reflections of the stars on the ocean.You promised to love me forever that night...and boydid youever!It was the first day of December this time. I was wearing my blue sweater, you know the one I bought at Dillard’s? The one with a double knitted hem and holes in the ends of the sleeves that I could poke my thumbs through when it was cold but I didn't feel like wearing gloves? It was the same sweater you said made my eyes look like reflections of the stars on the ocean. I told you I was three weeks lateYou said it was fate.You promised to love me forever that night...and boydid youever!It was the first day of May. I was wearing my blue sweater, although this time the double stitched hem was wornand the strength of each thread tested as they were pulled tight against my growing belly. You know the one. The same one I bought at Dillard’s? The one with holes in the ends of thesleeves that I could poke my thumbs through when it was cold but I didn't feel like wearing gloves? It was the same sweater you said made my eyes look like reflections of the stars on theocean.The SAME sweater you RIPPED off of my body as you shoved me to the floor,calling me a whore ,telling meyou didn't love meanymore.Bom Bom...Bom Bom...Bom Bom...Do you hear that? That's the sound of my heart beating.Bom Bom...Bom Bom...Bom Bom...Do you hear that? That's the sound of your heartbeating.(There is a long silence as she clasps her hands to her stomach, tears streaming down her face)Do you hear that? Of course you don't. That's the silenceof my womb.Because youRIPPEDOFFMYSWEATER!”

“Life wants you to fight it.Learn how to make it your own. ”

“This thing about you that you think is your flaw - it's the reason I'm falling in love with you.”

“And life definitely doesn't want me To just let it tell me that the girl I met,The beautiful, amazing, strong, resilient girl That I fell so hard forShould only come in third Life knows. Life is trying to tell neThat the girl I love The girl I fellSo hard for?There's room for her in first. I'm putting her first.”

“Understanding a situation doesn't always make it easier”

“God Layken. How do you do it? she says. She blows her nose and grabs another tissue out of the box. How do I do what? I sniff as I continue to wipe the tears from my eyes. How do you not fall in love with him? The tears begin flowing just as quickly as they had ceased. I grab yet another tissue. I don't not fall in love with him. I don't not fall in love with him a lot!”

“I've never regretted it. Questioned it? Sure. But never regretted." "Is there a difference?" I ask. "Absolutely. Regret is counterproductive. It's looking back on a past that you can't change. Questioning things as they occur can prevent regret in the future. I questioned a lot about my relationship with your father. People make spontaneous decisions based off of their hearts all the time. There's so much more to relationships than just love.”

“Always remember there is nothing worth sharing, like the love that let us share our name.”

“respect the hand that I was dealt. And to be grateful I was even dealt a hand.”

“Does he treat you with respect at all times? That's the first question. The second question is, if he is the exact same person twenty years from now that he is today, would you still want to marry him? And finally, does he inspire to be a better person? You find someone you can answer yes to all three, then you've found a good man.”

“It's not just lies they're referring to. It's life. You can't run to another town, another place, another state. Whatever it is you're running from-it goes with you. It stays with you until you find out how to confront it.”

“whatever it is you're running from-it goes with you. it stays with you until you find out how to confront it.”

“Keep an open mind; it's the only way new things can get in.”

“For once in my life, I was here and nowhere else.”

“My name is Olivia KingI am five years old.My mother bought me a balloon. I remember the day she walked through the front door with it. The curly hot pink ribbon trickling down her arm, wrapped around her wrist. She was smiling at me as she untied the ribbon and wrapped it around my hand.“Here Livie, I bought this for you.”She called me Livie.I was so happy. I’d never had a balloon before. I mean, I always saw balloons wrapped around other kids wrists in theparking lot of Wal-Mart, but I never dreamed I would have myvery own.My very own pink balloon.”