meredith grey

• why does it feel so good to get rid of things? to unload? to let go? maybe because when we see how little we actually need to survive, it makes us realize how powerful we actually are. to strip down to only what we need. to hang on to only what we can't do without. not just to survive, but to thrive.
• we do our very best, but sometimes it's just not good enough. we buckle our seat belts, we wear a helmet, we stick to the lighted paths, we try to be safe. We try so hard to protect ourselves, but it doesn't make a damn bit of difference. cause when the bad things come, they come out of nowhere. the bad things come suddenly, with no warning. but we forget that sometimes that's how the good things come too.
• there's an end to every storm. once all the trees have been uprooted. once all the houses have been ripped apart. the wind will hush, the clouds will part, the rain will stop, the sky will clear in an instant. but only then, in those quiet moments after the storm, do we learn who was strong enough to survive it.
• it can be scary to find out you've been wrong about something. but we can't be afraid to change our minds, to accept that things are different, that they'll never be the same, for better or for worse. we have to be willing to give up what we used to believe. the more we're willing to accept what is and not what we thought, we'll find ourselves exactly where we belong.
• it's one of those things people say. 'you can't move on until you let go of the past.' letting go is the easy part, it's the moving on that's painful. so sometimes we fight it, trying to keep things the same. things can't stay the same though. at some point you just have to let it go. move on. because no matter how painful it is, it's the only way we grow.
• when we follow our hearts, when we choose not to settle. it's funny, isn't it? a weight lifts, the sun shines a little brighter, and for a brief moment, we find a little peace.
• when do you throw in the towel? admit that a lost cause is sometimes just that? there comes a point when it all becomes too much. when we get too tired to fight anymore. so we give up. that's when the real work begins. to find hope where there seems to be absolutely none at all.
• just when we think we've figured things out, the universe throws us a curve ball. so we have to improvise. we find happiness in unexpected places. we find our way back to the things that matter the most. the universe is funny that way, sometimes it just has a way of making sure we wind up exactly where we belong.
• the body is a slave to its impulses. but the thing that makes us human is what we can control. after the storm, after the rush, after the heat of the moment has passed, we can cool off and clean up the messes we made. we can try to let go of what was.
• when the ground gives way and your world collapses, maybe you just need to have faith. and trust that you can survive this. maybe you just need to hold on tight. and no matter what, don't let go.
• we have to keep reinventing ourselves, almost every minute because the world can change in an instant. and there's no time for looking back. sometimes the changes are forced on us. sometimes they happen by accident and we make the most of them. we have to constantly come up with new ways to fix ourselves. so we change, we adapt. we create new versions of ourselves. we just need to be sure that this one is an improvement over the last.
• maybe we're not supposed to be happy. maybe gratitude has nothing to do with joy. maybe being grateful means recognizing what you have for what it is. Appreciating small victories. admiring the struggle it takes simply to be human. maybe we're thankful for the familiar things we know. and maybe we're thankful for the things we'll never know. at the end of the day, the fact that we have the courage to still be standing is reason enough to celebrate.
• deep down, everyone wants to believe they can be hardcore. but being hardcore isn't just about being tough - it's about acceptance. sometimes you have to give yourself permission to not be hardcore for once. you don't have to be tough every minute of every day. it's okay to let down your guard. in fact, there are moments when it's the best thing you can possibly do - as long as you choose your moments wisely.
• don't you wish you could just take it back? that thing you said? that thing you did? there's no undo button. there's only hoping we can learn. we can change, right? we can do better. we can't take back what we've done. we can't undo the past, cause the future keeps coming at us.
• time flies. time waits for no man. time heals all wounds. all any of us wants is more time. time to stand up. time to grow up. time to let go. time.
• at some point maybe we accept the dream has become a nightmare. we tell ourselves the reality is better. we convince ourselves it’s better that we never dream at all but the strongest of us, the most determined of us, we hold onto the dream or we find ourselves faced with a fresh dream we never considered. we awake to find ourselves, against all odds, feeling hopeful and if we’re lucky, we realize in the face of everything, in the face of life, the true dream is being able to dream at all.
• knowing is better than wondering. waking is better than sleeping, and even the biggest failure, even the worst, beats out never trying.