Your birthday is important.
The day you die is important.
But so is every day in between.

A single act of violence
A single act of kindness
A single act of love
Can make all the difference
When push comes to shove

If, today, someone walked
up to you on the street and asked "would you rather be seen or heard?", what would you say? Would you humor them and stay? Would you simply walk away? Growing up, I always heard kids say "I wish I was invisible."
Maybe it was because
they were shy.
Maybe bullies made them cry. Maybe they were embarrassed about how they look.
Maybe they just wanted
a safe place to read a book. Whatever the reason,
I can't help but wonder...if, today, someone walked up to you
on the street and asked "would you rather be seen or heard?", what would you say?
Would your answer be different than what it would have been as a kid? Or would it be the same?

Time will come
Time will go
There will be a time
You won't know which way to go.
You'll wonder if there's a way up
You'll wonder if there's a way out
At times, you'll be overwhelmed
And find your head filled with doubts.
"Am I enough?"
"Do I look good?"
"Am I worthy of love?"
"Am I misunderstood?"
But if there's one thing
We have in common,
It's that we all have time.
So, don't worry. Take your time,
and it will all turn out fine

it's not about the pain.
it's not about the price.
it's about the sacrifice people are willing to accept
to get what they want. to get what they need.
understanding they're willing to do more than bleed.
because understanding is the first step to earning respect.
and a world with more respect
brings us one step closer to a world of acceptance.

silence can be...awkward.
but it can also be a powerful tool.
depending on your intention, it can represent respect.
repentance.
introspection.
it can help you grieve.
it can make it easier to breathe.
and in a world that can bring the brutality of war
into the safety of your home,
when you feel lost for words,
like there's nothing you can say,
the sound of silence can say it all

it always seems that life is happy to remind you
that it doesn't owe you anything.
it doesn't owe you happiness.
or friends.
it doesn't even owe you an explanation
of what happens at the end of your story.
but guess what?
you don't owe life anything either.
you don't owe anything to anyone except yourself.
it's your time. your happiness. your choice.
because it is your story.