[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fLWl2SNHqzf8rKuETsCmIfkVApr-ZLrfYj-i9PFl6dVY":3,"$fN5TIVML_Wl9DT3PIXUPJC0XQ2ea9Wd7uYNOpreCXy7A":12},{"author":4,"tags":11},{"author_id":5,"author_name":6,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"bio":9,"short_bio":9,"bio_jsonld":9,"slug":10,"image_url":9},34801,"Leah Stewart","L",25,null,"leah-stewart",[],{"quotes":13,"pagination":79},[14,22,28,34,41,47,53,59,66,72],{"id":15,"quote_text":16,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":19,"source":20,"quote_tag":21,"commentary":9},3218031,"Some people see their spouses as separate from them,′ Megan says. ‘And some people see their spouses as an extension of them, and that informs their attitude and behavior.",6,false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":23,"quote_text":24,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":25,"source":26,"quote_tag":27,"commentary":9},3218030,"And Josh wanted to tell her what he knew: that love might look like a shore but turn out to be a desert island, where you roamed alone, talking to yourself, trying to crack open coconuts with your shoe. So thirsty you drank the salt water. So hungry you ate the sand.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":29,"quote_text":30,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":31,"source":32,"quote_tag":33,"commentary":9},3218029,"We will all satisfy our curiosity when we can, which is any time we think no one will catch us.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":35,"quote_text":36,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":37,"source":38,"quote_tag":39,"commentary":40},3218028,"So Sonia was not my only or even my first best friend. She was the last. It wasn t that I hadn t made friends since just that I thought myself past the age of that particular kind of friendship. Adult friendship doesn t grant you an exclusive isn t meant to be ranked above romance and family. I couldn t imagine ever living that moment again when you say with a shy and hopeful pride You re my best friend. The other person says it back and there you have chosen each other out of everyone else in the world.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\n\nThis poignant passage is from Leah Stewart's memoir, likely written during a period when she was reflecting on her adult life and friendships. As a renowned author, Leah Stewart has navigated the complexities of adulthood, love, and relationships, offering readers a glimpse into her own experiences with intimacy and friendship.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\n\nWhat lies beneath this seemingly innocent passage is a profound commentary on the nature of human connection and the fluidity of relationships. Leah Stewart skillfully highlights the tension between exclusivity and inclusivity in adult friendships, revealing that these relationships are not meant to be ranked or prioritized above other forms of love, such as romance and family bonds.\n\n**How to Use This**\n\nTo apply this insight today, consider embracing a more nuanced understanding of your own friendships. Rather than seeking exclusive or \"best friend\" labels, focus on cultivating meaningful connections with others, recognizing that relationships are dynamic and can evolve over time.",{"id":42,"quote_text":43,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":44,"source":45,"quote_tag":46,"commentary":9},3218027,"Why was it so hard to tell the difference between what you thought you wanted and what you wanted? Why did people have to be such a danger to themselves?",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":48,"quote_text":49,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":50,"source":51,"quote_tag":52,"commentary":9},3218026,"She could have made different choices, but all that mattered were the ones she’d made.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":54,"quote_text":55,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":56,"source":57,"quote_tag":58,"commentary":9},3218025,"I don’t have to wonder where he he, what he’s doing, or who. I don’t have to worry about all the ways he’ll scar my son. I don’t have to watch myself give in again and again, audience to my own relentless weakness. I thought if he were gone I wouldn’t hate myself so much, which isn’t true, as it turns out, but still his absence is as close as I can get to freedom. There’s a certain clearheadedness now, there’s a kind of lonely clarity –.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":60,"quote_text":61,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":62,"source":63,"quote_tag":64,"commentary":65},3218022,"Adult friendship doesn’t grant you an exclusive, isn’t meant to be ranked above romance and family.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\n\nLeah Stewart's quote on adult friendship speaks to a sentiment that resonates deeply with her own experiences and writings. As an author known for her nuanced portrayals of human relationships, Stewart's words are likely drawn from her observations of the complexities of adult friendships in the 21st century. While we don't know the specific context in which she wrote this, it's clear that her thoughts on friendship are shaped by a deep understanding of the intricate web of connections that make up our lives.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\n\nWhat Stewart is saying here is that adult friendships operate under a different set of expectations and dynamics than romantic relationships or familial bonds. Unlike these other forms of connection, which often imply exclusivity, depth, and emotional intimacy, friendships are meant to be more provisional and less consuming – not necessarily less valuable, but differently valued.\n\n**How to Use This**\n\nTo apply this mindset today, consider cultivating friendships that operate within a space of mutual understanding and respect for each other's boundaries. This means avoiding the tendency to rank or prioritize friendships above other relationships, instead embracing a fluid, non-hierarchical approach to connection – one where we recognize that different relationships serve different purposes in our lives, and we're not forced to choose between them.",{"id":67,"quote_text":68,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":69,"source":70,"quote_tag":71,"commentary":9},3218021,"She couldn’t be sure that everything she knew about herself was portable.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":73,"quote_text":74,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":75,"source":76,"quote_tag":77,"commentary":78},3218019,"How they’d started out so much in love, and how things had slowly gone wrong, and how she’d tried, she’d tried, she’d tried. How whenever she resolved to leave Tommy, she’d succumb to sorrow and nostalgia, yes, but mostly she could just never resist her stupid, primal attraction to him, and one of those times they’d conceived Milo.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\n\nThis poignant passage is likely from Leah Stewart's novel \"The Myth of You and Me\" (2003), which explores themes of love, loss, and the complexities of human relationships. The narrative voice, while not explicitly stated as autobiographical, resonates with the confessional tone often used in memoirs and personal essays. As a Behavioral Psychologist, I'm drawn to the candid portrayal of Stewart's protagonist grappling with the darker aspects of attachment.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\n\nAt its core, this passage reveals the paradoxical nature of human desire, where love and attraction are intertwined with feelings of sorrow, nostalgia, and even guilt. The protagonist's inability to resist her \"stupid, primal attraction\" highlights the tension between rational decision-making and emotional surrender, a struggle that many people face in their personal lives.\n\n**How to Use This**\n\nTo apply this mindset today, consider acknowledging the inevitability of your own emotional vulnerabilities when navigating relationships or conflicts. Instead of trying to suppress or deny these feelings, learn to accept them as an integral part of the human experience, and use this self-awareness to inform your decision-making processes.",{"currentPage":80,"totalPages":81,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":82},1,3,10]