" I always thought that the "thriving" would come when everything was perfect, and what I learned is that it's actually down in the mess that things get good. It was such a blessing to find myself thriving in the middle of the pain. Unless you find a way to do that, there's always going to be this fake illusion that once you get there-wherever "there" is for you-you'll be happy. But that's just not life. If you can't find happiness in the ugliness, you're not going to find it in the beauty, either. "