I won't pretend I can keep every promise I make. And I know good intentions can only take you so far. But I promise...it's OK if you need to let go

Not my strongest work,
but this is my first poem since March.
Irrational fears

Sometimes, I look up at the stars and ask "where do I go from here?"
But the only answers that are ever offered
Come from my Irrational fears

When I was a kid, all I wanted was to find somewhere I belonged.
Only to find out later, I had that all along.
Because you can’t spell belong without “be.”
And to be is to exist.
I exist. You exist. We all exist. So, we all belong.
But sometimes, it’s not enough.
You can still feel down. You can still feel alone.
And when that happens, just know that, for what it’s worth, you’re not the first who’s felt that way.

I won't say I have the answers
or that I'm the answer to your prayers.
I can't tell you what it's like in heaven
or that I can take you there.
But I can tell you that I'll listen.
And I'll show you that I care
by telling you the things
you've never had a chance to hear.
I won't promise sunshine and rainbows
or that I can make it all okay.
What I promise is I'll try to help you believe
that there's always a reason to stay.

Anxiety can **** you.
A community can save you.
You save yourself when you ask for help.

I'm not afraid of who I am.
I'm not afraid of who I was or where I've been.
I'm not afraid of who I'll be.
I'm not afraid of what people think of me.
The thing that's always stopped me was...
"I'm worried that I'll let their words affect me."
So, I've decided that "It's OK if they affect me."
Because I'd rather be hurt today
Than risk letting it stop me tomorrow.”

I know it does, but hear me out.
What if...it doesn't matter? What if none of it mattered? The clothes you wear, how little or how much you care. The way you deal with stress and grief. Whether people see you as strong or weak. How you spend your money. How much you get paid. How and what you eat vs how much you weigh. Here's the thing: it doesn't have to matter. Because you decide who and what is important to you.