Trial, misfortune,
Bad days, bad luck,
Sometimes it seems,
We’re forever stuck.

No matter where we look,
There it is.
We can’t see past,  
So we settle in.

Our misfortune doesn’t vanish,
We can’t pretend it does,
But try to grow, not settle,
It’s possible because,
You aren’t stuck to your misfortune,
And it’s not stuck to you,
It might seem like forever,
But it is not glue.

We can move on,
We can let go,
We can break through,
Yes, we can grow.

I’m not tissue paper,
Despite what you think.
I might crumble,
But I won’t break.

Won’t fly away
In gentle wind,
I won’t dissolve
When the rain hits my skin.

Steadfast through
The hurricanes,
So do what you will,
But here I’ll stay.

I swear I’m stronger than you think,
Might be weighed down, but I’ll never sink.

A house is condemned
Doors boarded shut
Then someone comes along
And says “open up!”
As if the house can remove
What was left by others
Immovable, secured
Layers of construction.
The person sees the weak walls
The peeling paint and broken floors
The “condemned” sign
But can’t help but see more.
They come back with a crew
And the next things you know
This condemned house
Became a home.

Are you this house?
Broken and condemned?
Wanting some company
But can’t let anyone in?
Sometimes the repair
Is more than a one-man job.
It's okay to reach out,
Find your crew and hold on.

A lifetime of tiptoes and quiet tones
Don’t rock the boat or put on a show
Head down, smile and nod
Agreeable, don’t seek applause

She’s perfectly polished but overly modest
She could move mountains but she’s endlessly cautious
Living in what-ifs and worries and whys
Curious of potential, afraid to try

She drifts and so she settles
Her life is safe but doesn't feel special
She keeps her distance, won't get too close
Except to her caution, she loves it the most

It has a time and place, it seems
But nothing is good if it’s to the extreme
Protection, or afraid to grow?
Caution, is it friend or foe?

It takes risk to get rewarded,
Caution is costly but safe,
So turn your tip-toes into marching
And let your still boat make some waves.

If Earth had a first time visitor
In the middle of our winter,
When the trees are bare and the hills are brown,
They might feel pity when they look around,
They won’t see life or hope or cheer,
They might see emptiness and despair.
If they left that day they’d have made up their mind,
Earth, it has no shine.

But we know better since we live here,
And we see the transformation each year.
We know that winter is temporary,
Not forever, the end, or scary.

So if you meet someone during their winter,
Don’t see them as bare, hopeless or a quitter,
See them with hope and know that soon,
They will find their bloom.

Another day, another to-do list
Two pages long, fists start to clench
Endless effort, you do your best
And at the end of the day, some are left unchecked.

You say: “I must do better tomorrow,                      
I should have gotten more done,
I really tried my hardest,
But I only finished some.”

A day full of work, but the tension remains
Your clenched fists aren’t relieved

Saying “only, but, should” and “must”
Only minimize what was achieved.

Perfection is ideal, but not attainable

And that is okay.

Do what you can, but take care of yourself.
Tomorrow’s a new day.

Dear stranger, please be kind
I had another stressful night
I couldn’t sleep, this makes night nine
Dear stranger, please be kind

Dear stranger, please be patient
I can’t think straight, I know you hate it
My thoughts and words can’t find their placement
Dear stranger, please be patient

Dear stranger, please be gentle
I’m already broken, trying to reassemble
I know it’s easy to be judgmental
But stranger, please be gentle

Dear stranger, please understand
I am doing the best I can
I can only carry so much with these hands
Dear stranger, please understand

It takes more effort to be kind than cruel
But why should effort decide the rules?
We all have a load so heavy
Why make it harder to carry?