i'd do the stars with you anytime ♥

o1. i'm not usually this bold. i find it curious how one glance between us can ask so many questions. who are you and what's your story? and what is it about you that makes me want to know? and i do want to know. i know what i saw; i know that you did a double take, and i know that this is definitely not just in my head; but i can't get you out of my head. i don't believe in chance. ELECTRIC EYES

o2. sweetheart: i am nobody's fool, and you are no exception. RIEMANN

o3. we've only known each other for a few months, but it feels like you've been here forever already. everything with you is so easy. first year would have been completely different if i hadn't met you. i'm totally myself when i'm with you. we know never to take each other too seriously, but you know exactly when to be serious. everything between us came so naturally; we are like-minded souls. when i am frustrated and filled with doubt about this path, you are the one i turn to, because you understand. mathematics or chemistry? MIDNIGHTS + MORNING COFFEE

o4. you're the best. i can't believe you remembered. hearing from you makes my week in a way that no one else can. we are merely ideas; words in black and white and infinite possiblities, but that's alright—words are my favourite way of expression anyway. i always wonder if we've spoken and never known it; if we've locked eyes and never understood the truths. watch that sky and think of me. someday, my dear. THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD

o5. sometimes i hate you. sometimes you drive me crazy with the things you say without thinking. sometimes you just make me so angry that i can't even speak. but still—when it really comes down to it, all i want is for you to find the happiness that you're searching for. i would do anything to help you on your way. ANALYZE

o6. you can do better than this. you're going to be wonderful to some girl someday. stop being so harsh on yourself. stop feeling sorry for yourself; you've got every reason to keep your chin up. i have said these things to you over and over again, and i hope that one day you will believe them, because i believe in you. i wish you could see yourself the way i see you. GOOD TO YOU

o7. you. you, with the quick wit and sense of humor and the incredible patience. you, with the big dreams and the accidentally inspirational spirit. you: my mentor, friend, teacher. thank you. throughout all the years, i could not have asked for more. you never truly realize how much you pick up from someone after being forced to spend a few hours next to them every week, but i've learned a lot from you; more than you will ever know. i admire your passion and your ability to go out there and do everything, and do it well. you are going to be great someday. i miss you already. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

o8. you are the best storyteller. we can talk about anything. we met in the most unexpected way, yet here we are, years later, still facing the world together. we're the kind of friends that can go for months without seeing each other at a time, but we pick up exactly where we left off. everything could change, but our friendship never would. i know you'll always be around, and you can count on me. i always know that i'll see you soon. TIGERS

o9. nobody amuses me like you do. i don't even care what anyone says: you are wonderful. underneath all that initial pricklyness and questionable first impressions and the fact that you occasionally make me want to slap you, you are amazing. you are hilarious and talented and as much as you try to hide it, i know you have a heart of gold. don't ever change. YOUR BIGGEST FAN

1o. i am so glad that we're back on speaking terms. i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry. i never forgot all the laughter and tears and long nights we shared and the incredible thanks i still owe to you. you always make me laugh, and i'm so glad that despite everything, we are able to forgive and rebuild this friendship. as it turns out, the laughter between us still hasn't changed. here's to hoping that it never will. MOUNTAINS STANDING

Innocent

     It is always springtime. In fact, it was right around this time every year. 
 

     The days stay untouched by time. The details are unclear and the memories are faded along the edges, but the time and place are always familiar.

     With the perpetual rain comes an inevitable shower of whirligigs. “Helicopters,” we called them. The maple trees produce their fruit in the form of keys which spin to the earth every April in torrents. It is an almost majestic dance—they flutter and twirl on their way down, often just barely eluding our childish grasp. I think their elusive nature drew us in. Children always like to chase things, and we were no exception. So we would chase without abandon, because we didn’t know to fear the world yet. 

     I lied when I told you that my mother said that successfully catching the falling maple keys would allow us one wish, you know. I just wanted to tell you something wonderful so that you might play with me at recess. Maybe six-year-old you saw right through six-year-old me. Maybe he didn’t—and maybe someday I’ll find out. But if you did, you didn’t care. We chased them with childish dedication, and we wished like we really did believe in miracles. To this day, I still do. 

     In our six-year-old minds, we thought that it would be good idea to plant a seed from the keys in the sandbox of the school playground. We nurtured that dream every day, making sure our little patch of sand was always properly watered. Unfortunately, we may have gotten a little ahead of ourselves when we dug it back up to make sure that it was still there. But that was my first encounter with a lesson on patience—and biology.  You have to keep faith in the things that you cannot see. 

     So imagine my surprise when I got your letter out of the blue, eleven years later, asking me if I remembered you. I asked how you thought I could ever forget. My perspective has not changed since those days. Though I have grown up, I am still the girl who searches for beauty in the broken and romance in the ordinary. I still want to chase dreams and make wishes with all the innocence in the world. Some would inevitably call me naïve; childish; disillusioned—yet I would not change a thing, because those spring days with you remind me to look at the world with eyes unclouded by the jadedness that comes with age. Childlike perspective is like looking at photographs through perfect glass. 

     Right now, you are just an idea; merely a passing dream. I wouldn’t know it was you if you walked past me on the street. Perhaps you are the stranger that I unwittingly shared a smile with today, or the boy that I passed by without a second thought. But it is dizzyingly mesmerizing to think that we watch the same sky every night. And so I will watch that sky and hope you are doing the same; that the simple action might connect us across the many miles. 

     The world could be winter, but it is forever springtime in my heart.