After awhile you learn the subtle difference between holding a hand and chaining a soul, and you learn that love doesn’t mean leaning, and company doesn’t mean security. And you begin to learn that kisses aren’t contracts and presents aren’t promises.
And you accept your defeats with your head up and your eyes open with the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child.
And you learn to build all your roads on today because tomorrow’s ground is too uncertain for plans, and futures have a way of falling down mid-flight.
After awhile you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much so you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone else to bring you flowers and you learn that you really can endure…that you really do have worth and you learn and learn…with every goodbye you learn.
~Veronica A. Shoffstall 1971
Beautiful…
…and so true.
I totally posted this same thing recently! But I had no idea who wrote it, so thanks for that. I wrote it in my journal way back in college and came across it again and realized how touching and true it is.
Currently going through a divorce, my Stepmother sent me an old xerox copy of that she had tucked away, with no idea who wrote it. I just did a google search and there it was. Very poignant piece of writing.
Dude,
That was hot.
Le Clown
Le Clown,
Go fuck yourself dude.
Le Tracy
Tracy,
I was serious. I thought that was fucking beautiful. First, I thought it was you, until I saw the author. But it’s fucking nice.
Le Clown
Le Clownypants,
Thank you for clarifying, I didn’t recognize you without the dripping sarcasm.
Tracy
That was beautiful! I feel stronger having read it. Thanks for that!
You are welcome, I’m glad you got from it what I did.
Beautiful. Deep. Intense. Can something be more than true? If so this would be. Maybe teenage girls should memorize it in school. Maybe I should stop talking now.
I love what you wrote. It is more than true, and teenage girls should indeed burn those valuable words into their brains. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing that. I am going to print it out and put it on my fridge for my teenage girl, though she is so flipping independent that she could probably have written it. Sometimes I am in awe of her.
I’m glad so many other women find it as profound as I do. It’s the Holy Grail in my opinion.
Beautiful words, I hope things are getting better for you. Thank you for posting this…it brought back a flood of memories. Referencing what booksphotographsandartwork said, this piece helped me through a teenage breakup. I love the line about decorating your own soul.
Thank you, getting better every day.
Thanks Tracy. Very Powerful. Very True. I Relate. Keep Strong & True to Yourself.
Thanks my friend.