The Last Flight

Identity is a strange thing. Are we who we say we are, or do we become the person others see? Do they define us by what we choose to show them, or what they see despite our best attempts to conceal it?

If we don't tell our own stories, we'll never take control of the narrative.

I’m not very good at forgiveness.” Liz nodded. “Not many people are. But what I’ve learned in life is that in order for true forgiveness to occur, something has to die first. Your expectations, or your circumstances. Maybe your heart. And that can be painful. But it’s also incredibly liberating.

it’s a system that tells women we are unreliable, and then expendable. That our truths don’t matter when set side by side with a man’s.

Eva could walk away with no regrets, knowing for certain the past held nothing of value for her. That sometimes, the death of a dream can finally set you free.

The world was filled with people who carried secrets. No one was who they seemed to be.

You know, life is long. Lots of things can go wrong and still end up all right.

In a world crowded with noise and selfishness, you are a brilliant flash of kindness.

You might be shoulder to shoulder with someone living their last moments as themselves and never know it.

If we don’t tell our own stories, we’ll never take control of the narrative.

That was the funny thing about regret. It lived inside of you, shrinking down until you could almost believe it had vanished, only to have it spring up, fully formed, called forward by people who meant you no harm.

Are we who we say we are, or do we become the person others see?

Dedicated to all the women who have come forward with their stories. Whether it be in front of a congressional panel on live television or alone in a windowless human resources office—we hear you. We believe you.

she realized she’d spent her whole life wishing for something she never would have had.

That sometimes, the death of a dream can finally set you free.

Everything you ever wanted is on the other side of fear.

People disappear every day. The man standing in line at Starbucks, buying his last cup of coffee before he gets in his car and drives into a new life, leaving behind family who will always wonder what happened. Or the woman sitting in the lat row of a Greyhound bus, staring out the window as the wind blows strands of hair across her face, wiping away a history to heavy to carry. You might be shoulder to shoulder with someone living their last moments as themselves and never know it.

in order for true forgiveness to occur, something has to die first. Your expectations, or your circumstances. Maybe your heart. And that can be painful. But it’s also incredibly liberating.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile the world goes on. —Mary Oliver, Wild Geese

Humans are, by nature, social animals. And while I’m a dedicated introvert, I rely on my friends every day.

think you need to figure out how to forgive yourself. For whatever it is that still chases after you.

All choices had consequences. It was what you did with those consequences that mattered.

If you pay attention, Claire, solutions always appear. But you have to be brave enough to see them,

Hate can eat you up inside. I could devote hours a day to despising him. But it wouldn’t matter. He’s out there, somewhere, living his life, and if he thinks about us at all, it’s probably only in passing. I decided a long time ago to forgive him, which is a lot easier than hating him.

But what I’ve learned in life is that in order for true forgiveness to occur, something has to die first. Your expectations, or your circumstances. Maybe your heart. And that can be painful. But it’s also incredibly liberating.

Long ago, when she was a girl in the group home, Eva discovered that big feelings made most people uncomfortable, and she learned how to use anger or sadness to turn up the pressure, to maneuver people into a position where their only desire was to make the emotion go away. To stop the tears. To fix the fear. To placate the anger.

[Eva James] "I'm not very good at forgiveness." Liz nodded. "Not many people are. But what I've learned in life is that in order for true forgiveness to occur, something has to die first, Your expectations, or your circumstances. Maybe your heart. And that can be painful. But it's also incredibly liberating.

If we don’t tell our own stories

it’s a system that tells women we are unreliable