Before you kiss someone for the first time, just wait.

Take a second to look at them. They are so new, so unfamiliar. Right now you don’t know how they taste, how their hands will press against your skin, how they’ll breathe. You won’t see them like this again.

Look at them wanting - the apprehension in their eyes. They don’t know either. In their mind you are uncharted territory.

Isn’t that special?

Keep it. That’s how you’ll never lose them. Every so often afterwards look at them through these eyes. Don’t lose that wonder. Don’t lose the spark.

1. A smile says a lot more than the muscles being used.

2. You can’t always be happy with that person, but once you can be sad with them… It makes room for some memories you can’t forget.

3. You will bleed and late at night when your chest tightens up, you’ll remember all of your mistakes. Every single one of your regrets. And it’ll be just you. Alone. You will learn from this painful experience even if it kills you.

4. Forever and always isn’t real, but it’s still nice to hear someone say it to you. Your very own bittersweet symphony repeated daily.

5. Waiting by the phone, happens. Making them wait by the phone, happens. People get busy, people change, and people forget.

6. If you fell hard, you fall out even harder.

7. You will look for them in an empty room with four white walls. You will look for them in the sky because the night reminds you of the way they surrounded your arms with love. You will search for them in a room full of people. And baby, you won’t always find them. The truth about loving people.

8. If you yell, no one really listens.

9. Yet, if you whisper, they may also never really listen. It’s a give or take. Effort value.

10. If she says it’s okay and it’s fine–
you fucked up. Genuinely apologize, fool.

11. If he says that he loves you–
make sure he knows your definition of love,
and not just his. Make sure he understands.

12. Emotions really don’t give a fuck about the time or day, you will feel everything at random. At work, driving a car, breathing, showers, it doesn’t matter. It can happen anywhere, anytime and in any way.

13. Just because you told them “I love you” for five years, it won’t mean that you love them in the right way.

14. Quality over quantity. The years spent together should not justify for how badly you can treat them.

15. People aren’t metals, they bend. People are flowers, they wither. People are clouds, they rain. People aren’t cups, they won’t catch every drop of your pouring. People aren’t forever, they age, they change; we all do.

16. Drugs + anger issues + sex = don’t.

17. If you can do math well, subtract the times you made them smile to the times you’ve seen them cry and ask yourself; how can I make this better without dividing our smiles based on emotions we can control. How can you change the relationship without breaking it?

18. Simple is fine, simple is cool. But it’s nice to spice things up with a complicated letter. Let them feel love by being love.

19. Everyone has a different definition of love. Someone will always love the other person more. And I hate how fucking true that line is.

20. Don’t talk about kids until they happen, because when they don’t, you might be the only one still thinking about those nameless children who will never happen.

21. The stars are the deadliest shade of their lips, the mornings are the worst, waking up just to fall back to sleep. The nights aren’t too bad, you’re only there crying to yourself about how worthless you have been and you’ve lost them forever. Okay, that’s pretty bad. We suck.

22. But it does get better, we learn. We grow.

23. It has to. It has to get better. There has to be hope. There has to be change. There has to be faith. There has to be strength in a single number. A single point. Strength from within. I love you ends with you and not them. You make the change, you make them feel.

24. The saying “you’re going to grow up into a little heartbreaker” said by adults who knew. They were right. You will break all of the hearts. And you will hate yourself for it.

25. Love is only possible if we bleed. Bleeding isn’t always bad, but if you run out of bandages; know your limit. Know your flaws.

26. You will cry even if you haven’t before.

27. You will die. Again. Again. Again. & Again.

28. Not literally, but emotionally defeated, physically drained, and psychological malfunction. That all comes with heartache.

29. Age doesn’t protect you from it.
From the first moment you can say love–
that’ll be your first chance to break.

30. Use protection. On your heart.

31. Go out for a walk if you’re angry.
I promise, it’ll help. No one likes a spoiled child.

32. Don’t make empty threats, they come true.

33. Watch out for your favorite songs, they lose meaning and gain meaning both too quickly.

34. The calendar stops flipping, the clocks run out of hands and the sky stops changing.

35. There’s nothing poetic about hurting someone, an apology doesn’t fix shit if you don’t mean it and the trust never looks the same. For both sides. Always for both…

36. Don’t say anything you don’t plan to explain. Explanations are helpful. Learn to detail their smile just in case you run out of excuses for how shitty you’ve been.

37. They can’t always be right. Same goes for you. They can be wrong, often. You too.

38. You will find reasons to love them,
but you will find reasons to hate them too.

39. Sometimes doing absolutely nothing on a saturday night isn’t so bad, sometimes, that’s doing everything because if you can do absolutely jack shit with them and still smile… maybe… there’s a chance that it’s real.

40. It was real. It had to be. How do you explain this smile? It had to be real. It had to…

41. If you ever forget the definition of sanity, it’s okay. You can be insane with your best friend and still feel absolutely adored.

42. Love is weird. Period.

43. Lovers are even weirder.

44. Heartbreak. The very definition of bat shit crazy. Feeling hot and cold simultaneously. Crying and laughing, you’re a trip. Every acid trip joining hands to bend your reality. Shit hits the fan and you’re afraid to turn on the lights. Weed and booze, all plausible. Weakness and strengths– you are weak, you are strong. You are broken, but you are whole. You will want to remember everything, but also forget everything. Heartbreak is the middle child of infatuation and true love. Have fun being ill tempered by yourself.

45. If you can’t be awkward around someone– if you can’t be cheesy, if you can’t be you.
You may have to find someone new. Or learn to live in your own skin.

46. Love is nothing like the movies. Love is not like the books. Love isn’t like a love song. It’s real and it’s scary. It’s raw and it’s emotional. It’s bleeding and it strips. It’s spicy and it’s sweet. It’s you smiling for a whole week. Love may feel like a movie, love may feel unreal– but bear with me for a bit– it’s real.

47. You can’t justify hurting someone, so if they said you hurt them. Motherfucker, you apologize. I probably listed this one before, but that’s how important it is. You apologize. You write letters. Cut yourself open. Give them your most sincere sorry. Own up to it. Mean it. Breathe it. Make yourself feel apologetic. Force yourself to breakdown. Be a human being.

48. It isn’t always what it seems, but baby–
sometimes, it is. Go with your gut feeling. It’s love. You’re allowed to do these things. Sometimes… Your gut feeling is right.

49. Logic plays a big part too. If it’s toxic af. Leave. Walk away. Go. Bounce. Love destroys. Love heals. Love breaks. Love halves. Love says fuck you to our common sense. So do yourself a favor, recognize your heart… Your heart is your brain. It goes both ways. If you can go with your gut, sometimes… you must also choose your reasoning.

50. Oh, and if I forgot to mention it

This shit will hurt. Just so you know.

It will. It never fails.

But it’ll also be the best decisions–

You’ve ever made. I promise.