honey just put your sweet lips on my lips, we should just kiss like real people do

“forgive. forget. fake it. chin up. wear lipstick, make lists, make sure your voicemail isn’t full. mix protein shakes, send timely thank you notes, sip drinks more slowly, stare at adults’ eyebrows, smile without dimples, develop perfect posture. be gracious, be kind, eliminate self-pity. look in the mirror and shift your internal monologue from ‘how do i look?’ to ‘this is my face,’ from ‘what the hell am i doing?’ to ‘this is my life.’ capitalise your emails, read the news, walk briskly, stay focused, and never, ever let on that you are somewhat lost and sometimes lonely and so completely confused (and would someone please just let me know what it is i’m supposed to do next, where exactly i’m supposed to go–). just keep going. go, and do not stop.”

jennifer schaffer, a checklist for the age 19