A Line to Live by

Do you ever have a phrase stuck in your head? Ever mumble a mantra to yourself to keep you sane? Or maybe you heard an intolerable song that refuses to leave your brain. Sometimes it might even be a bad thing said in the heat of the moment but it sticks to you like a leech—slowly sucking the life out of your will to smile. Whether it be cynical, guiding, a movie quote, or a song lyric, ever wonder why that phrase specifically sticks with you?

Lines to live by give a peek into your soul. Like horoscope signs, or taste in music. I like to believe our brains, especially nowadays, are steel traps of words and quotes and lines to live by. I will quote old Vine videos 24/7 and half the time, no one knows what I'm talking about. I could quote New Girl episodes with zero stuttering. But there are certain lines that stick out to me more than most. I was a chronic overthinker. Well, still am but less now. I would overthink and dwell on things that happened years ago, so what on earth is the point of dwelling now, other than just kicking myself? So mantra I stole from a children's tv show (Miraculous Ladybug, and yes it's art), is to "take things as they are." So odd that just a few simple words can unclench your lungs and allow you to breathe. Honestly, just take things as they are, don't dwell on what could have happened because news flash, nothing can change what has already happened, so why dwell? A friend of mine has a similar one, that I also abide by, "everything happens for a reason." It does, there is no way that it doesn't. This line tends to alleviate some worries that are out of your control—worries that must belong to some pathway carved for you by whatever greater power lives beyond our clouds. In a way, it's like we get our control back through lines like this; they are tiny lifelines we toss ourselves to keep us afloat on a bad day. One I have also come to learn is to be nice to yourself. Truly, I am my own worst enemy and sometimes it feels like my brain loves to work against me and remind me of my faults unprompted. It definitely got louder as I have gotten older but the words truly do help in telling my brain to be quiet for ten minutes.

One of my friends actually plays a quote from our elementary school principal on repeat. That principal was one of my favorites and he used to say “is it true, is it helpful, is it kind?” as a barometer of what to say and what to keep quiet. It apparently works for her because she is by far the most empathetic person ever, truly I say far worse things in a day than she does a month. If you ever feel like you speak before you think, it’s a great line to live by. Some of them are much more hard hitting and are definitely on a T-shirt somewhere. A friend of mine likes Henry David Thoreau's words of wisdom: "every man is the builder of a temple called his body, to the god he worships, after a style purely his own, nor can he get off by hammering marble instead. We are all sculptors and painters and out material is our own flesh and blood and bones." Essentially pointing out that how you live is not just external satisfaction but also inward. It implies that you can't separate who you are from how you live physically. Your body will tell the story of your values even if you don't speak them. Another friend of mine, her lines are actually quite short, which to me, tracks with who she is—not just in height (boom roasted) but her truthful nature—"Do it scared," and "the only way out is through." Very honest and straightforward, no bluster, just directions. Doing it scared is far better than never doing it at all.

The kinds of lines that repeat in your head say more about you than you might think. In my opinion, words tend to stick, so when a hurtful thing is said, it takes a while for it to shake out of my head to make room for the nicer lines. Same can be said for the nice lines, wonderful words said by those I love carry weight in my head heavy enough to have me daydreaming mid-shift. Sometimes the lines help us break habits, or they help us get through the rough moments, or are just random references that make us smile. These lines carve grooves into our way of thinking—they shape how we move through the world, how we speak, and how we treat ourselves. So, the next time a phrase gets stuck in your head, it might be worth asking: why this one? Because somewhere in that repetition, you might find a glimpse of who you are.