"Even in the happiest of marriages there lie the seeds for an ugly divorce. Think about it: If you really want to drag up everything that you could, imagine what that would be like."

In this instance she was talking about marriage as in the institution. But I think it is more broadly applicable to many types of relationships.

I find it harder to make friends with people the older I become. A large part of this has to do with how the later in life you meet someone, the more baggage they have and the more their elaborate backstory is. 

The problem with not understanding the backstory is that it's otherwise hard to appreciate their mannerisms and to tolerate their quirks. 

But recently I've found that learning about other people's joy and heartaches has been the most comforting part of the daily grind. Maybe it is the escapism that excites me--the idea of taking a vacation from the things that bother me even if it just for a bit.

I used to look around me and see so much pain. But now I see so much progress in spite of that pain. You only see the progress if you stick around long enough though--and that is the tough part.

But maybe it is worth putting up with the awkwardness of new friendships if it means that after a while you start to notice the beauty of another person: How pretty they look when their eyes light up, the way you have exactly the same ideas of what you would do with an infinite amount of money, the care and enthusiasm with which they explain their hobbies to you.

But can you stick around long enough for that?