Friendships, I learned early, are an at-will agreement. They can be terminated at any time, for any reason.

It never occurred to me that being down for anything wasn’t a particularly interesting or unique personality trait.

But I didn’t want to be respected. I wanted to be wanted.

a signal that I was cool and not bothered by unsexy matters like money.

I was an emotional teenager enchanted by her crush: the way the early morning light hit the sidewalks, the sight of a yellow cab, and the endless cereal options at my corner bodega all filled me with glee.

A marriage is what you both make of it together.

There was no ceiling on love; no cap on collective success.

For days, I rubbed my tongue over the burn, smiling to myself with the memory of what it felt like to honor my hunger.

You’re entitled to your feelings. But sometimes, just because we feel something, doesn’t mean we need to share it with that person.