Heather Cochran

“Repotting a plant gives it space to grow. Repotting ourselves means taking leave of our everyday environments and walking into unfamiliar territory—of the heart, of the mind and of the spirit. It isn’t easy. The older we get, the more likely we are to have remained in the same place for some time. We stay because it’s secure. We know the boundaries and, inside of them, we feel safe. Our roots cling to the walls we have long known. But remaining inside can keep us from thriving. Indeed, without new experiences or ideas, we slowly grow more and more tightly bound, eventually turning into less vibrant versions of who we might have been.Repotting means accepting that the way is forward, not back. It means realizing that we won’t again fit into our old shells. But that’s not failure. That’s living.”

“it was that voice. his voice. the voice that wrapped around you like a warm day. ”

“it's funny - say no and you'll stay in the same place. say yes and who knows where you'll end up. ”

“repotting means accepting that the way is forward, not back. it means realizing that we won't again fit into our old shells. but that's not failure. that's living. ”

“no, i don't, i told him. i'm not sure that it matters what you care about. maybe it's the caring itself that matters. ”

“i know they say that absence makes the heart grow fonder. but sometimes, absence can also reveal the waning of once fond feelings. time passes and it's a surprise to realize that you haven't missed him, or her, or the place or the job that once felt like a match. ”

“listen, i appreciate the story. i get that he's a goody guy. but these audits are random. it's not personal. see, that's where you're wrong, the man said. everything you do in life is personal. ”

“you want to protect your children, she said. even when they're not children no longer, you still think you can, maybe, make things not hurt so bad. ”

“i was thinking that i'd like to try kissing you, joshua reed said. ”

“you feel things real strong, leanne, even if you pretend you don't. you're my girl that way. ”

“after a kiss you can find yourself in that deserted place where even if it's not leading to anything, you and the other person have both admitted some thing that tugs at the friendship, pulling it out of shape. ”

“i think about those twists of fate, the strange run-ins that can alter everything in the blink of an eye, or the shift of a single season. ”

“to an outsider, it might look like a harsh thing, like inaction of the worst sort or a purposeful forgetting, but when you're the one choosing to look away, you know it's because your heart is simply trying to make it to tomorrow. your heart is scared to death, and it would rather not know than take a chance on being destroyed by the whole truth. ”

“isn't there a point at which the mind should be able to surrender on behalf of the heart? or check it in to an asylum, somewhere safe and locked, if the heart keeps refusing to see a landscape for what it is? yet with some people in life, it seems you just can't lose yourself, even when you should. ”