Bonsai of Thought: Seventy-Four

1. One becomes an ex-husband, an ex-wife,
but never an ex-child.

2. I fell in love with you.
My reckless heart craved more love.
What could I do! I dove deeper into the ocean.

And there you were, standing on the shore!

3. I harbor no hatred in my heart.
If I love someone once,
I love them always.

Of course, they should stay away from me,
if distance has already formed!

There is no conflict between love and distance.

4. What causes us the most pain in this life is
the picture of life we've painted in our minds.

5. Don't misunderstand—I haven't come from heaven;
I've merely escaped from hell, somehow.

6. If you lose even the one
you never thought you could lose,
you will find someone
you never thought you could have.

7. Anyone who keeps bringing up your past
to hurt you—
quickly...free yourself from their grasp.

8. If you're reluctant to pay the price
for what you need,
don't approach someone whose time has value.

9. When you need someone,
their preference matters more than yours.

10. Friendship survives even without love.
But love doesn't survive without friendship.

11. To forget me, you found someone else.
To forget you, I found myself.
Don't come trying to compare me with you.

12. I only knew how to give.
I kept giving always,
affection, love...everything!

I never understood
that no matter how much water you pour,
stone remains hard.

13. I had made him
the only home of my life,
while I was merely
the second home of his.

14. Some wounds in life
don't heal just because you ask for forgiveness.

15. Be still, know yourself.
Love demands steadiness more than restlessness.

16. You don't always have to listen to others,
sometimes you must force yourself to be quiet
and have long conversations with yourself.

17. If you can't tell someone
how you're feeling,
it's better not to be with them.

18. Don't come back.
Sell your ego instead.
From now on, let's both be well, shall we?

19. When mind and heart
are in two different places—
what greater suffering could there be!

20. I no longer try to understand you,
now I simply love.