things my father never taught me

1. you are stronger than you realize

2. you are crueler than you realize

3. the unspoken words will break your heart

4.you will change. i know that is your biggest fear- change. but it is good. welcome it. you are allowed to change, you will not be the same person you were 3 years ago, you wont even be the same person you were 3 minutes ago. and thats ok, especially if you didnt like the person you were 3 minutes ago.

5. people come and go.

6. you wont like your name until you hear someone say it in their sleep.

7. dont stop yourself from telling someone you love them.

8. jack daniels is not the solution to your problems.

9. make sure you have a safe place, whether that be the kitchen floor, the bookstore, your car when you drive alone, anywhere. just make sure you have a place to safely feel your feelings.

10. you will be afraid of all kinds of things- clowns, spiders, the dark, but the biggest one you have to conquer is if someone will see you as you see yourslf.

11. sometimes looking at someone is like looking at the sun, and someday someone will look at you like you are the sun. wait for it.

12. you will relearn how to sleep alone. how to avoid cold corners but still fill up the bed without empty spaces for imaginary friends.

13. people make friends with you because you are broken and know how to survive.

14.you are good at something, whether it be making someone laugh or remembering someones birthday, dont ever let anyone tell you these things dont matter.

15. you will always be hungry for love, even when and if you're sleeping next to someone. you will envy the pillow touching their cheek and the sheet hiding their skin.

16. yes, you can miss someone so much it aches and still ignore the phone when they call.

17. you heal, each time you heal.

18. violence is a broke mans currency.

19. save your money for a rainy day.

20. your family is doing their best with what they were given / learned, as did i.

21. therapy is worth every dime.

22. he didnt love you if he didnt show you or tell you every chance he could.

23. no one likes you when you're 23 baby.

24. some nights you cry yourself to sleep and pray for a swift death, but you dont get to decide when.

25. you stayed away from all the music we listened to together for as long as you could, but they are the only memories you have of me, so once in a blue moon, when you hear a song that reminds you of being in your car seat, you quickly come to realize, you still love those songs.

26. you go for men just like me. they act like me and talk like me. treat you the way i treated your family, but you didn’t know that because you never saw what i’d done to your family.

27. you will be equally hated for as much as you are loved, and this is a balance that you feel a little too much of

28. a heartbreaker is a terrible thing to be.

29. you achieve your dreams if you work hard enough at it, but you will be insatiable until you love yourself.

30. you are beautiful.