If you can be the friend you 'need'
If you can agree to disagree
If you can choose love and peace over being 'right'
If a pal's apology doesn't inflate your pride

If you can listen more than you speak
If you can give without expecting a seek
If you can forgive and let go of the past
If you can be present and make love last

If you can see the good in others' ways
If you can embrace each new day
If you can find the lesson in every fall
If you can stand up and give your all

If you can hold space for another's pain
If you can offer kindness like harmattan rain
If you can be gentle with a friend's heart
If you can play your part

If you can laugh together, cry together too
If you can build each other up, see each other through
If you can create memories that never fade
If you can be a safe and loving shade

If you can grow, adapt, and evolve with grace
If you can find the beauty in a changing pace
If you can trust the journey, come what may
If you can cherish friendship every step of the way

Then, you're a GOOD MAN!
YOU'RE BLESSED!!
YOU'RE A BLESSING!!!

#elspirito

When I was a kid,
I thought I could be superman.
But now that I'm older,
I don't think anyone can.  
So, if no one can be a superman,
the next best thing I can be
is a good man.

Night
a nugget of slide virtuosity
sings clear in the dark
that from the usual velvet hand
somehow has been forgotten

Your brass-burnished touch
has been nothing but felt

Sleep on, whole rest

What on earth you believed you could achieve
Climbing the stairs with no fear of God
Only one good man tried to make you halt
Showing you he’s stronger than all

With one look, a check for good measure
He took a decision that saved us so much
Fearless he nudge you to divert you
Into following him for a good cause

A hero that deserves the highest praise
Your bravery made you our nation’s knight
Of all that hatred you remained unfazed
As there wasn’t time, but to do what is right!

"If all men count with you but none too much"
If you're open to all
but not too blind to identify those who would watch you fall

If you can give without expecting
If you can leave without holding grudges but hold precious memories dearly;
If you can say SORRY and mean it
If a pal's apology doesn't inflate your pride...

If you can see BEAUTY and adore her
If you can see her in the mud and recognize her
If she is out of sight but you can see her within
If she is nearby and attended to
If she is around and honored...

If there is love in your heart
If you say it and do it
If you can lose to win and tell the story not for men's praise or the glory
If you can bend a knee for a greater victory!
If you can insist on the right thing and refuse to bow to pressure...

THEN,

You're a good man deserving Heaven's bliss, the Earth's fullness and all things good and fulfilling!

This the script with no in fade.
This the tale with no once upon a time.
This the story with no true start,
the story of my grueling climb.
-
I had not - for so, so long - been fully sane
and would not feel fully sane for far longer.
I was not yet able to take a drink
when I first heard Death’s frightful song
-
It was my final year of college -
or the final it was supposed to be -
When my illness sank its fangs into my head.
When the mania nearly meant the end of me.
-
Problems lay dormant for decades
and troubled me when I needed peace most.
At the age when I’d normally be dating,
it seemed as if solitude was to be my perpetual post.
-
I had not been happy for some months
but always thought I was just lonely.
I was evading any treatment and concern,
all the while growing ghastly.
-
I left school with just three courses left
to find my peace at home.
Much to my chagrin,
every problem and symptom still shone.
-
I once again tried to ignore them
and tried to hide myself away.
I threw myself into games and drugs,
anything to push pain to the fray.
-
It worked for a few weeks,
but as soon as I was alone it ended.
I was thrown back into despair,
confident my use had been expended.
-
With no hope left for the future,
I set out to die by rope.
The only pause was for my mother
but I was too far down the *****.
-
Luckily, the rope lost its hold on me
shortly after I passed out.
I woke up on the floor - knot still around me -
and was apathetic towards this rout.
-
Upon awakening the next day,
I decided I should finally find help.
My lack of regret seemed strange,
and motivated me to - finally - pursue my health.
-
Through a painful, month-long process
I found the answers I so desperately needed.
Bipolar was - and still is - shocking.
I had no idea how deep its fangs were truly seeded.
-
I may be back in the real world now,
but my recovery is not over.
I have my answers and the medicine to heal me
but I’m still haunted by the things that were.
-
I will continue to work for a better tomorrow.
I will continue helping those like me.
I will forget the things that were
and take joy in things yet to be.
-
To my brothers and sisters in pain:
You are not alone and your illness is not you.
I know you feel forlorn,
but your health you must pursue.
-
It is never easy for us to seek help,
our problems we think can solve themselves.
It is okay to find support.
We must stop retreating into our shells.
-
The more of us that open up,
the less of us that feel alone.
We all have similar issues
and only we can let health be sown.
-
Love your brothers. Love your sisters.
Love your enemies. Love your neighbors.
But please - above all else -
Love yourselves.