Let me set the scene for you. It's 2016. I'm 15 years old and for the first time I'm realizing

that life is challenging. The boys I like don't like me back. I'm drowning in homework. I don't really like my friend group. I'm worried I won't pass my driver's test. I'm realizing that life is full of challenges and for the first time I'm really

aware of it. Simultaneously I'm falling in love with Pinterest and I'm becoming

obsessed with inspirational quotes. I'm addicted to reading inspirational quotes and

I'm addicted to pinning them to my Pinterest board in hopes of

building this archive of wise words that I can lean on during these trying times.

I'm having sort of a philosophical awakening or I think I am. I'm experiencing challenges and I'm seeking answers through wise words.

For the first time I feel present

and being present is kind of painful.

Now imagine during this time someone comes up to me and says, of

kind of painful. Now imagine during this time, someone comes up to me and says, Hey Emma, what's your favorite quote? What's the quote that you live by?

Now, you would think because during this time I was going through a

philosophical awakening that my answer would be deeply profound and heavily thought out.

Well, my answer would have been,

everything happens for a reason.

Why would that have been my answer?

Because during that time, that quote answered all the questions that I needed answered.

My challenges at the time were painfully simple in retrospect.

In the quote everything happens for a reason

applied to all of my challenges in the most perfect way

but at the time I hadn't analyzed that quote very deeply.

I loved it on a surface level.

...