You can seek the advice of others, surround yourself with trusted advicers, but in the end, the decision is always yours and yours alone. And when it’s time to act and you are all alone with your back against the wall… The only voice that matters is the one in your head, the one telling you what you already probably knew. The one that’s almost always right.

Dying changes everything. There’s the emotional fallout, sure. But there’s also the practical stuff. Who’s going to do your job? Who’s going to take care of your family? The only good thing for you is you don’t have to worry about it. People you never knew will be living in your house, working your job. The world just keeps on going… without you.

This is a place where horrible things happen. You were right to go. You’re probably escaping disaster. Look at me. I practically grew up here, and you’re right, it’s hurt me in ways I’ll probably never get over. I have a lot of memories of people. People I’ve lost forever. But I have a lot of other memories too. This is the place where I fell in love. The place where I found my family. This is where I learned to be a doctor. Where I learned how to take responsibility for someone else’s life. And it’s the place where I met you. So I figure this place has given me as much as it’s taken away from me. I’ve lived here as much as I’ve survived here. It just depends on how I look at it. I’m gonna choose to look at it that way, and remember you that way.

There don’t have to be harps playing or birds singing or pose petals falling from the sky… And there are definitely days when the romance is dead. But if you look around, things are pretty amazing. So stop for a second. Enjoy the beauty. Feel the magic. Drink it in. ‘Cause it won’t last forever. The romance will fade. Things will happen. People will change. Love will die. But… maybe not today.