Starting from Square Two by Caren Lissner Archive

"'maybe we should all decide we're going to meet the man of our dreams when we're thirty-seven. Then we'll stop squeezing into tight shirts and walking around half-naked and analyzing every encounter as future husband material. We'll stop feeling the need to put on makeup to take out the trash just in case he's walking by. Maybe we should just assume that we'll meet our dream man at some future point, and stop driving ourselves crazy before then.'" - Starting From Square Two by Caren Lissner

"'I think that when people get lonely,' she said, 'they try to find someone to blame. But there isn't really anyone to blame. It just takes a long time to find the right person.'" - Starting From Square Two by Caren Lissner

"'i can't look content when i'm not.'" - Starting From Square Two by Caren Lissner

"'the truth is, the really good men are snapped up quickly. you get into your mid-twenties and it's five to one.'" - Starting From Square Two by Caren Lissner

"'so there's a Spiral Deathtrap of Dating. When you're with someone, you look happy and relaxed, and thus, a lot more people than you need are attracted to you. when you're sulky and alone, no one is attracted to you, and thus, you stay sulky and alone.'" - Starting From Square Two by Caren Lissner

"'if you ask why i'm not interested in someone, i might say their nose is too big, or they don't know how to dress, or they're too thin or too fat or too plain. but the truth is, i only notice those things because of the real reason--that i'm just not feeling anything. but people don't want to hear that. they always want an explanation. so i have to come up with something concrete even though feelings aren't like that. if i did meet a guy and i felt happy with him for whatever reason, i wouldn't give a rat's ass what he wore or how tall he was or what he did for a living. but when i'm with someone and it just doesn't feel right, that's when i start noticing the bad haircut or Chicago accent or unibrow. and it's true that tomorrow i may go home with someone who you think is totally wrong for me. and the next day i might meet a perfectly nice guy who you think i should feel excited about, but i don't. but if i do go home with someone, it means for a change, something feels right. for a

"The true test of a relationship, Gert thought, is if you can tell someone the most boring story in the world about yourself, and they'll still have something to add." - Starting From Square Two by Caren Lissner

"'we just have to accept that people are going to stay in our hearts even when they don't stay in our lives.'" - Starting From Square Two by Caren Lissner