be practical, mom says.

in your career, your relationships, your life.

do not seek what you love, but what is safe.

i look at the woman who lives by this advice, whose life consists of small moments of relief from reality. a woman consumed by anxiety and unhappiness.

this is not really living.

i know this world is mean. i know you mean well, mom. but i would rather die pursuing a love i will never find than settle for what is practical.

your way of life is the last thing i want.

i know you worry. i know you are afraid, but i am not.

let me go. let me live. you will see, i will love and find love you never thought possible.