I'm surrounded by a sea of people,
But I'm all alone.
I've pretended for so many years,
No one's ever known.
I'm afraid to show them who I am,
And what I want to be.
I've done my best to fit in here,
But it hasn't worked for me.

Know me now, for who I am,
Not what I'm supposed to be.
Please see Courage, knowledge, kindness too,
When you look at me.

I'm tired of this mask I wear,
Of hiding, so you can't see.
Today I'm going to show the world
Who I want to be.

Fed up with your lot?
Focus on what you have got;
Not what you have not

Through trouble and strife
Find the good things in your life;
Concentrate on those.

How strong we can be
Only in adversity  
Can we truly see

1718

Drowning is not so pitiful
As the attempt to rise
Three times, ’tis said, a sinking man
Comes up to face the skies,
And then declines forever
To that abhorred abode,
Where hope and he part company—
For he is grasped of God.
The Maker’s cordial visage,
However good to see,
Is shunned, we must admit it,
Like an adversity.

i lay out under the shade of the trees
embracing the cool breeze
it is comforting
like a caress between lovers
i watch the leaves blowing in the wind
never in unison but always in synch
the trees sway back and forth
back and forth
as if rocking to some invisible rhythm
i don't need to hear it to know its message
i can feel it in every cell of my being
awakening
rejuvenating
connecting me with the sounds of nature
my spirit is affirmed once more by the soft rustle of leaves
vowing that here in life's purest form
everything is okay
calm, not calamity
the sky, a blank canvas of open invitation
release yourself
let the soothing brush of fresh air intoxicate your senses
revive you

i sense autumn drawing near
closer every day
the leaves are bright with life
just starting to flash a glimpse of vibrancy that awaits
although there is not a cloud in the sky i sense my head resting there my feet planted firmly on the ground
my soul, lost somewhere in between
floating
waiting to be found

"Thank you
for granting me
this opportunity
to face these aspects
of myself
i'd much rather
sweep under the carpet."