Red cheeks.
Flaming heart.
Soul stains and rusts
As it's consumed by lust.
But not for you.

It's not your fault if he doesn't say hi as you walk by.
It's not your fault if she doesn't seem to know you exist.
But it's not their fault either.
It's not your fault if you feel too much or nothing at all.
And if it gets bad, there's nothing wrong with curling up in a ball.
We all need an escape.
This is an important one.
It is NOT your fault if you get addicted to the drugs or the drink.
It's not your fault if you get so stressed, you can't eat, sleep, or think. It's not your fault
Because bad things, confusion, sadness, stress, loss, anger...it happens to everyone. It's not a choice.

I don't want to talk about the world.
I don't want to talk about the future
Or the past.
I don't want to talk about how old I feel or how the years fly by so fast.
I don't want to talk about my day.
I don't want to talk about the weather.
What I do want to talk about
Is what you need to make you feel better.

Work to live
But don't live to work
Unless you're working on yourself

Every day, you make a choice
To stay silent or raise your voice.
And that's your choice, and I respect it.
I just want you to know
That if today, you decide you want
To be a lion
and let people hear you roar,
I'll roar with you until you don't feel alone or broken anymore.

Just because the world changes
Every day, hour, minute, and second,
Doesn't mean you have to.
But, then again,
Maybe that's exactly why you should.

Whether you look up in the trees
Or down to the bottom of the sea,
Mother nature's beauty is plain to see.
But one look at the hurricanes
and fires on tv
Serve as a reminder
Of what she can do
if we make her angry

I wanted you to show me the way.
To give me a sign.
But I looked behind to realize, for once, I wasn't the last one in line.

This is not the end.
It's not the beginning.
It's not even the beginning of the end.
Sorry to say,
but you're stuck in the middle.
But the middle's not a bad place to be.
You learn what you didn't know
In the beginning, and you find the skills you need to get to the end.
It's where you learn
From your mistakes
And meet your friends.
The ones who make everything worth it. So don't feel stuck.
And don't be so anxious to get to the end. You never know. It might ****.

Live your life.
Because no one
can live your life for you.
And when you dream a dream,
Don't abandon it. Embrace it.
Because only you
can make your dream come true.

Give me your pain so I can understand
Give me your love
so I can be a better man.
Give me your hope
When I've had a bad day.
Give me words
when I can't find ones to say.
Whatever you can give, I'll take it all.
And in return,
I'll break down my walls.

The hardest lesson to learn
Is that hiding your feelings
Protects no one.
The hardest thing to accept
Is that you don't need to protect anyone.

In the dark of the night,
Be the light from the moon.

Stay alive. Stay in bed.
Stay with me. But stay out of my head.
When the day is long, stay strong.
And when everything's going wrong,
I'll pick up my guitar
And we'll sing our song.
If you're asked to stay away,
Please tell me we'll stay together.
Because when I'm with you, I feel better

They say "it's not about what you say, it's about what you do."
But that's not necessarily true.
Like everything, it depends on the situation.
For example, when it came to writing the declaration,
The act of writing it was just as important as the words they wrote.
What I'm saying is, no one action is more important than another.
What we say, what we do, it's all important.
Because in the end, all we have is each other.

Close your eyes. Take a breath.
The pain you feel, the grief,
Won't be the death of you.
Because you've had this pain before.
And even though you're still sore,
There are still people
You need to be there for.
Who will be there for you.

"I wish I could fight."
"You can."
"How? I don't know how
to punch or move."
"You fight with words.
It's called kung fu typing."
"Kung fu typing?
Did you just make that up?
Doesn't sound very cool."
"It's not supposed to be.
But if you master it,
you'll never need to worry
about not knowing
how to punch or move."

Take your time.
Take someone's hand.
Take control.
Take a stand.
Take a bow.
Take a breath.
Then, when you're ready, take that first step.

"How do I become successful?"
"Are you alive?"
"Yes"
"Then you're already doing it.
Keep it up."

They say things change.
And that's absolutely true.
Money. Entertainment.
Clothes and shoes.
But the thing is, none of that matters
Unless people change.
The same people are still screamin,
Still fighting for the same reasons.
We've built a world where words
Have as much power as angels
And demons.
I'll be the first to admit. I have no idea where to start.
But we need to change now
Before we drift even further apart.

Dreaming about the future
While living in the past
Is a one way ticket to madness

I forgot the man I used to be
Trying to become the man I want to be

Stop! PLEASE stop saying "don't."
"Don't give up."
"Don't be afraid to ask for help."
"Don't be sad."
"Don't keep it bottled up inside."
I could go on and on.
"Don't be scared."
God, I hate that one the most.
Like, why the hell shouldn't I be scared?
Look at everything that's happening.
Look, I know you mean well,
But when you say that word,
It feels like you're trying to control me.
And I already feel
                                  So
                           ­        Out
                                      Of
                    ­                     Control.
I know you want to help.
And it means a lot to know you'll be there if I need help.
But I need to do this on my own.

I didn't tell you I loved you
Because I thought that you already knew.
I never told you you meant the world to me
Because I thought it was clear to see.
Or maybe that's just the way I wanted it to be.
But now that you've gone away,
I asked myself if it's too late to tell you these things.
A voice answered back.
"It's never too late."

I'm not interested in what you'll say.
I'm interested in what you'll do

have you ever wondered why the sky turns gray when it rains?
well, in every creature, there is darkness, and there is light.
and when you start to give up the fight,
the fight for happiness, love, life, when you start to lose hope,
the darkness starts to bleed into your light. but it's okay.
the color can come back. first, ask to talk to someone.
ask them to listen.
then, hold nothing back. don't stop until you understand
how you feel. what you want.
don't worry. it's not selfish to talk about it.
not to the people who care about you.
it will take time, but if you do this, someday, a rainbow will come shining through

it's time to let myself go.
It's time to give up.
It's time to let everyone know
That I finally believe
That I'm worthy of love. Praise.
That I'm finally comfortable
in my own skin.
And if I can feel that way about myself
I have faith you can too.
It all starts by looking within.

"What would you do for loved ones?"
"Anything."
"What would you do for yourself?"
"Nothing."
"Why not?"
"It's selfish."
"Why is it selfish?"
"Because I'm okay being alone.
They're not."
"First, just because you're okay
Being alone doesn't mean
you should be.
And second, you're not alone.
You have me."

I don't know what will happen when I die.
But I do know what will happen if I don't try.
So today, even though I want to cry
From all the stress, the pain, the fear,
The loneliness I feel, the **** that's real
No matter how much I try to deny,
My eyes will stay dry.
I'll try.

Another day here.
Another day gone.
Another day wishing
I had somewhere I belonged.
Another day comes.
Another day goes.
Another day with nothing to show.
Another day begins.
Another day ends.
Another day with no new friends.
But in spite of it all,
I still hold on to hope
That someday, someone will help me
Be more like a river
And less like a wall

I thought we'd be together forever.
But now for worse, or maybe someday, better,
I will let go of my dream I had for you and me, and sign this letter.

It's not your job to prove them wrong.
Sometimes, just walking away
Says more than words ever could.
It's not your job to fight
In a fight that's not yours.
But sometimes, it's what's right.
It's not your job to forgive someone
Or take them back.
Listen to your heart,
You will be on the right track.
Your only job is to be yourself.
To do what's best for you, your health,
Your happiness.

The day you passed away,
I couldn't see the sky.
Too many tears fell from my eyes.
But they weren't tears of grief.
They were tears of relief.
Because even though
I'd never be able to hug you
As you walked through the door,
I knew you weren't in pain anymore.

if you tell me I'm wrong,
I won't try to change your mind.
I have better things
To do with my time.
And if you think you can find someone
Better for you than me,
Then go. Be free.
I won't try to change your mind.
Because I love with eyes wide open.
Never blind.
Never again.

I left myself behind
To follow you
Blindly.

only time will tell
how far you've come.
Only time will tell
How far you'll go.
Only time will tell
How much you've learned.
Only time will tell
How much you've grown.
Only time will tell
How much you've lived.
Only time will tell
When you'll die.
But since we don't know
What time will say,
Let's try to make the most
Of every day.

Just because you failed yesterday
Doesn't mean you can't succeed tomorrow

"the" truth...is not "the" truth.
It's your truth.
Some people will subscribe to your truth.
Others will shun it.
But it's yours.
And no one can take that from you.
So own it.

I'm not one to judge.
Hard to hold a grudge.
I promise,  anything you want to say
Will be safe with me.
I know it's hard to trust.
They left you in the dust.
But don't let that stop you
From trying one more time.

you may never be whole again,
But if I can, I'd like to help you
Feel human again

Sometimes, I wish my story
Was written with a pencil
Instead of a pen.
To be able to erase
all the bad times,
The mistakes,
The what could've been's.
But in the end,
I wouldn't trade them for anything.
They made me who I am today.
And to me, that's everything.

"If you'd be with me,
I'd give you the world."
"I don't want the world."
"Why not?"
The world today
Is different than it was yesterday.
It's different from the world
We'll live in tomorrow.
I might not want the world tomorrow."
"So what do you want?"
"To be happy."

No matter how hard you try
I won't let you see me cry.

thank you for your love.
Thank you for your guiding light.
Thank you for being someone
I could talk to when I couldn't sleep
At night.
Thank you for making me smile.
Thank you for letting me cry
On your shoulder.
And know I'll do the same for you
When I get older.

I don't know what will happen
In the world of tomorrow.
So today, I'll do my best
With the time I've borrowed

In case you didn't know
The pain you feel,
The fears you have,
The love you give,
Is real.

it's scary being lost.
Feeling lost. Alone.
So cold, you can feel it in your bones.
But the thing about being lost,
You can always be found.
Found by a person. By faith.
You can even find yourself.
If you're out there,
And you want to be found,
If you're READY to be found,
Call out your name.
Someone who can help
Will listen for the sound

seeing the fire in your eyes
Is as hypnotic
As watching lightning crack
Across the sky.
And the power of your smile
Could bring disco back in style.
The way you move your feet? Oof!
Girl, there's no way
I can stay in my seat.
So what's the problem?
You make me feel this way
And I don't even know your name

I'm going to take all of my scars
And build a highway to the stars.
I'll learn how to love myself
And stop living like an elf
Stuck on a shelf.
It will be the hardest journey
Of my life, no doubt.
But in the end, I'll find something
Worth writing about.

"I wish I wasn't so different
from everyone."
"You've got more in common
With people than you think."
"Oh yeah? Like what?"
"Well, once upon a time, we were smaller.
Then, we grew taller. Or rounder.
Maybe more than we'd like, but we all grew stronger."
"Well, I don't feel very strong right now."
"And that's okay. We all fall. Sometimes like a sack of bricks.
Sometimes with the grace of a sunset.
But at some point, we all get up.
And when you're ready to stand, I think you'll find
There's fight left in you yet."