“That no matter how much you care for and value someone they’re never obligated to be the same to you. Especially friends.”

“I am nowhere near as smart, nice, or likable as I thought I was to myself.”

“Being the hardest worker will not always equate to you being the one rewarded or recognized for accomplishments.”

“I was always warned by my grandfather that from a corporate point of view that to make yourself irreplaceable could oftentimes make you unpromotable… Because the powers that be would rather have you keep going than wait for someone else to learn a role already being filled.”

“You can do everything right, give something 100% effort, follow all the rules and still fail.”

“That the world doesn’t wait for you to be okay. You just gotta learn to pick yourself up and get better.”

“When someone shows you who they really are, believe them.”

“You never know when the last time is until it is too late. Last time you hugged a friend. Last time you said, “I love you.” Last time your kid crawled in bed for cuddles. Last time your parents called to chat.”

“Every organization, no matter how lauded, how aspirational, how trusted, is still at the end if the day comprised of very fallible humans.”

“Loving someone unconditionally, and being willing to do anything for them doesn’t mean that they will feel the same way about you.”

“If somebody doesn’t want to be helped you can’t help them.”

“When it comes to grief time does not heal all wounds. It dulls it, but one trigger and it floods back.”

“You go days without talking to someone, then weeks, then months, then one day you realize that you aren’t really friends anymore. No major fallout, just your lives are no longer compatible.”

“Even if you treat someone really well and you both love each other, it doesn’t always end like a Hollywood movie. Sometimes there are too many obstacles.”

“Same. My harsh truth was realizing my funeral will be empty – unless I die before my one surviving parent, that is. Hell, there might not even be a funeral. If I die at home, my corpse won’t be found until they come to evict me for being late on rent.”

“Sometimes you are the bad guy.”

“Life goes fast. Like super fast after you turn 24. My step dad told me that I’d blink and be 40. Well, I blinked and being 40 sucks!”

“No matter what you have or what you do, you will be essentially forgotten after a few generations.”