Sleep is a nice break from reality
And therefore very addictive
Especially if you feel more at home
There than in reality

The wet, luscious emerald grass
dancing joyfully in the wind.
A little girl rejoices.
Her yellow dress shines
in the bright sunlight.

She takes a step,
with her dusky bare foot.
The cold water touched her.
With courage,
she took another step.

Before she knew,
she was running free,
as a wild horse.
Her black hair
softly flying behind.

Eventually, she sat down,
in the middle of a multicolored field.
Looking around at the
awe-inspiring beauty of nature.

Closing her big brown eyes,
she looked up
stretching her arms
as if embracing the sun.

She thought.
"Why can't time stop?"

She laid awake on her bed,
twenty years later
with her big brown eyes,
now filled with worry
still wondering the same question,
"Why can't time stop?"

They don't need the latest technologies or toys

They need their parents' undivided attention
They need moments of uncontrollable laughter over something silly
They need to feel safe despite the chaos happening outside

They need beautiful memories with their family not with their devices

I think some relationships are cyclical
Like going through the seasons

It's painful to drastically go from
summer to winter

Just as it is to go from being in your constant presence
To a rare phone call here and there

However just like summer returns
I'm sure we'll meet again

Meeting a close friend
After an eternity feels so unreal

Your brain is trying to understand
That they are finally in front of you

But your heart knows
They never left you

We need to stop
telling young children
that their worth comes
from the letters
on their report card

Too many children
are slowly
killing themselves
trying to measure up
to society's
unrealistic expectations

I think everyone is being haunted
Maybe not by something supernatural
But something more sinister:
Regrets
Missed opportunities
and
the choking sensation of their fear

I used to be terrified
of lightning and thunder
when I was younger.
The bright bursts of light
the loud sounds
were too much to handle
for my frightened mind.

Now that I am older
I have learned to love them.
They are evidence of how
beautiful and poweful
Mother Nature is.

My grandparents house
was a safe haven,
A space where
Time nor stress
existed

A place filled with
My grandmothers
Stories of birds
And princesses
That lulled me
Into peaceful
Sleep

A place filled with
memories of
Eating mangoes,
And popsicles
with My grandfather
On hot summer days

I think I finally know
What I mean by
“I need peace”

It’s not that I want things to stop
Because let’s face it
They never will

It’s more peace of mind
To accept the
Chaos and
learn thrive in it

Fix me Lord
Fix my broken heart
So I can help
Other broken hearts

“Be where your feet are”

I didn’t realize
how much Time
my mind spends
in the past or the future
And rarely in the present

Makes me wonder
If this has always been the case
or a recent occurrence

Some days
You just need
To take a
Long nap
To reset your
tired brain

There is something special
About listening to
Calming music
As you're falling asleep

Your soul
Can freely float
As you rest
Underneath

I don't understand
Why some people
Have different opinions
the pandemic or climate change?

Since when did we
start having opinions
on facts?
When did we start
Picking and choosing
Our realities?

People will try to belittle
You
Not because
There is something wrong
With you
But because they don't know
How else to feel better

You are remarkable
Don’t forget it

The world
May tell you
You are not good enough
to be there

But listen to the
Little voice in your head
Saying
You don’t need the world
You have you
And your tribe

We have to fight for
Our futures

No one is going to
Hand you your dreams
On a silver platter

Learn to love yourself
Before you love
Anyone else

You deserve the best in life
Regardless of how much
You have
Failed or disappointed
Yourself

You have an impact on this world
Even if you do not see it
Someone somewhere
Is happy knowing
You're on this planet

Keep taking it one day
At a time

Love,
Me

Perfection is a characteristic
That is force fed to us
A characteristic we must
Die trying to achieve
But why?

No human before me
Has been perfect
Why do they expect
It to start from me?

I am randomly getting feelings
of impending doom

As if the world will
End tonight
As if someone I love
Will leave me today
As if there is no
Tomorrow

Normal days are the hardest
to remain close to God

On good days
There is something to
Celebrate with Him

On bad days
There is something to
Cry to Him about

On normal days
Everything feels good
That I forget how much
I need Him

Why do we expect everyone
To react to
Trauma,
Grief, and  
Celebration
In the same way?

Each person is different
And so is each circumstance
So how can we expect the
Same reaction?

I am learning that self-pity
Is a dangerous thing
That must never
Be allowed into your mind

It might be comforting
In an unusual way
But in reality
It's slowly poisoning
Your mind

Imagine a car being stuck in snow
No matter how hard you try
To accelerate out of
The pit of despair
You will be stuck there
That is helplessness

But if you have one person,
Just one,
helps you
You can get out
That’s the power of
Friendship

I understand why
Romanization of death
Exists
The world is so exhausting
That death seems like a
better option

However, I wonder
What made life
So mundane and empty
That we seek to
Escape it?

I no longer know
What progress feels like
Every time I feel like
I have made
A major improvement
I lose my footing
And fall right back down
From where I started

There is too much happening
Too much to care about
Too much to fight for
All worthy causes
But the biggest fight of all
Is to be empathetic
In this apathetic world

Why is it so hard
To tell people how we feel?
The society has messed us up
So much
That even talking about
What's breaking our hearts
Seems embarrassing

When I was younger
I thought I
Craved attention
But in reality I just
Wanted to be acknowledged
By the people I cared about,
Even in a small way

I need to learn
How to deal
With the stress
As it's coming
My way

My current method
Involves repressing
With such pressure
That I cannot predict
When the volcanic
Eruption of emotions
Will occur

All my life I’ve heard
That I’m not enough
I’m not fair enough
I’m not tall enough
I’m not skinny enough
I’m not smart enough

Enough is enough

I have learnt to
Be enough for me
And that’s all that matters

When I was younger
I always thought
My family loved each other
Not unrealistically like in the movies
But more in their humanly
And flawed way

But now that I am older
I wonder if it was love at all
It all feels like an illusion
To cover up the rotten core
Of greed and pride

I create clutter
In my head and around me
When I'm stressed
Because I have no energy
To clean it up

As the clutter increases,
My frustration increases with it
Until I can no longer function
Till I clean it up

How long before I finally
learn the lesson
To take care of myself?

Have you ever wished time would stop?
Like everything coming to a
Standstill

Just so you can have a moment
To catch your breath

I’m always afraid of the worst
The fear just churns in my head
Fuelling more of my anxious thoughts
It’s an unfortunate cycle
That I’m desperately trying to break

Wind has such range:
It is gentle enough
To make a hot day better
Or
Strong enough
To wreck havoc

I think people are the same
Each capable of both extremes

Take a moment and
Look back at your life

You’ll find a string
Of beautiful experiences that
Placed you where you are today

I have always wondered
What I will look like when
I take off all of my masks

As I am slowly taking them off
I see scars that
I'm not proud of
But there is more beauty
Than I originally
Anticipated

The rawness of this world
Is often overwhelming
That’s why easier to find an escape
Rather then live in the moment

We are safe in our hiding place
But from there
we can only
watch life slip away

If there is a path
I will find it
No matter how hidden
I am not known to give up

It takes courage to live
Even if you have to
Take it one day at a time

Each moment you try to survive
Takes you closer to the time
When things will be better

What happens if
If I can’t go on?
What happens
If I lose my strength
To follow my dream?

Two containers:
One empty, the other full
Will both make noise
When dropped

Similarly with people
Everyone has an opinion
But you must know
Which one is worth listening to

It’s hard to see
everyone fit in while
you’re an odd jigsaw puzzle
Be patient!
You fit in with God
And the beautiful community
He provides

I don't hate you
You were my favorite person
Growing up

I'm just disappointed in how
Different you are
From what I remembered

Eyes are so simple
Yet so mysterious

A quick glance can tell you
What they're conveying
But the longer you look
The more depths
You discover

Why is forgiveness important?

It’s not for the other person
But it’s for you
You need to let go of the pain
So you can hold
Something else instead

When monsters are gnawing
At your heart
It is so easy to surrender
Trust me I've lost that fight
Many times and
Regretted it every time

But it only takes one minute
Of courage
To stand up and fight
Trust me it can be draining
But you'll thank yourself
Later