“But this upland pass was the right place for remembering how, when I was young, I learned to feel for the harshness underneath every soft appearance.”

“...when I was young, I learned to feel for the harshness under every soft appearance.”

“When I was up she taught me to recognize the feeling and savor it. “Remember how good you feel now,” she said. “There will be times later on when everything will seem bleak. I don’t want to minimize the grim and harsh times. I know how bad you feel then. But they won’t last forever. Capture the good moments,” she said.”

“i don't regret the difficulties I experienced; I think they help helped me to become the person I am today. i feel the way a warrior must feel after years of traning; he doesn't remember the details of everything he learned, but he knows how to strike when the time is right”

“I learned how to hide the scars underneath layers of makeup and a smile.”

“I remember back to a time when I could walk on the beach without a pass from a hotel. When I was too young to fear getting raped, or hurt or lost.”