There are two types of waiting. There’s the the waiting you do for something you know is coming, sooner or later—like waiting for the 6:28 train, or the school bus, or a party where a certain handsome boy might be. And then there’s the waiting for something you don’t know is coming. You don’t even know what it is exactly, but you’re hoping for it. You’re imagining it and living your life for it. That’s the kind of waiting that makes a fist in your heart.

Just remember that sometimes, the way you think about a person isn’t the way they actually are.

As long as you look for someone else to validate who you are by seeking their approval, you are setting yourself up for disaster. You have to be whole and complete in yourself. No one can give you that. You have to know who you are - what others say is irrelevant.

Without being shaken,
where is the flower that blooms?
In this world, even the beautiful flowers
bloom because it got shaken.
While it’s shaken,
the stem becomes straightened.

Without being shaken,
where is the love that is possible?
A flower without getting rained on,
where is it?
In this word, even the most beautiful flower,
has been rained on and rained on and bloomed.

Getting wet from the rain and wind,
the flower blooms warmly.
A life without getting rained on,
where is it?