They're swinging left and swinging right.
They hide in the shadows just out of sight.
But how can I fight what I cannot see?
How can I stop them from breaking every piece of me?
If you're out there and feeling all alone,
you don't have to fight all on your own.
Because the more you ask for help, the more you take control.
And when you take control and feel it in your soul,
the doubts will start to disappear.
Doubts! The bullies of the mind.
Doubts! Leave no trace of them behind.
Now that you know how to fight back, it's time to put it to the test. Take it one step, one day at a time, and we'll figure out the rest.

Hiding how you feel isn't lying.
In fact, for some people,
It's a form of surviving.
It may not be the healthiest way to heal;
Ignoring the pain and feelings
To the point It's not real.
But do whatever it takes
To see tomorrow.

Going down, but it's not bad.
Going down to the river
to clear my head.
Simple things like skipping rocks
Or catching fish in the stream
Remind me that
even in times like these,
Life could still be a dream

No one said life was easy
No one said we have enough time
And yet, we still work with what we've got.

I don't need a Mercedes Benz.
I'd rather be surrounded by a group of friends.
You'll never hear me wish for a Cadillac.
I'd rather know someone has my back.
If you offered me a Lamborghini, I'd trade it for a dinner and movie date.
But they say love is what makes a Subaru a Subaru.
That's why it's my dream car for me and you

If you could live forever,
Would you ever
Let anyone stop you
from chasing your dreams
To be a singer,
do something that matters,
have all the money and material things.
I know that's not something
We can do,
but if that doesn't matter to you,
If you can handle the bad times,
If you can handle the cold nights,
If you're willing to do
whatever it takes.
If you're okay being lonely,
Then you're the only,
The only one who
can stand in your way.
If you don't let time be your enemy,
You can be whoever you want to be.

Waking up next to you
Would be a dream come true.
But I hope it doesn't.
Because dreams don't live in reality.

I'm living in a dream until it becomes a nightmare
Waiting for the day I find someone out there.
The people I have met in this life
Are living in a different dream, however.
One that is based not on love,
But something different altogether.

In dreams, I've lived. In life, I'll die.
In dreams, I get to say "hello" again.
In life, I have to say goodbye.
In dreams, I'm not afraid.
But in life, I'm terrified.
Terrified of what I don't know. What I can't see.
Terrified I won't be who I'm meant to be.
But what if that's by design?
What if dreams are visions of heaven
and nightmares visions of hell?
I could sit here forever hypothesizing,
so I'll leave you with one final thought.
We tell each other to follow our dreams.
If dreams are visions of heaven,
maybe all of our failures, our efforts,
are not for naught.

A day of fun and sun
In a world of doom and gloom
Is a nice change of pace.
Happy Easter 2021 everyone!

It's easy to break.
It's easy to fall.
It's easy to feel like you've hit a wall.
It's easy to hurt and put up your guard,
But just because something's easy
Doesn't mean it isn't hard.

Everyone fell in love
With your beauty and grace.
But no one saw the tears
That streamed down your face.
Because people only see
What they want to see.
"If that's true," you ask,
"Does that mean you wanted
To see me cry?"
"Not at all, my dear.
I just think emotion is beautiful.
And when you are willing to show
An emotion like crying,
It proves there's more to you
Than meets the eye."

You don't have to be alone
To feel alone.
I still struggle with that
Despite how much I've grown.
I still have my friends,
My family, my fans.
But when I look down, all I see
are my empty hands.

You made me play your game. Now I'll never be the same.
I believed the lie you told.
Now that I know the truth, I've never felt so cold. So alone. Heart feels heavy like it's made of stone.
I can feel myself sinking.
Ever closer to depression. Despair. In desperation I cry out "is anyone there?" No one answers of course.
Then your voice pops in my head saying "nobody cares."
For a second, I believe it.
Then I remember your deceit. In a moment of clarity, I realize listening to you would mean I admit defeat.
But I wont let you win. I'll take your words and make them mine. It's the end of the line.

life is full of ups and downs.
But we've been down so long,
I can't help but wonder...
When the time comes,
Can we even remember HOW
To get up?
And when will that time come?
When someone has the courage
To scream one word.
ENOUGH!
Enough kneeling.
It's time to stand and start healing.
But it's all or no one. So...
Have you had enough?"

You've been waiting for life to begin
not realizing it's already begun.
You've been waiting for love to let you in
only to realize you need to let love in first. You've been waiting for a chance to win
not realizing you've already won.
If you've gotten this far
and still haven't found what you're looking for, take a closer look around.
You might have had it the whole time.

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.

it's easy to criticize people
for how they deal with pressure.
but it's important to realize that pressure,
like people, come in all different shapes, colors, and sizes;
they affect people differently.
because he doesn't drink just to drink.
and she doesn't smoke just to smoke.
they're trying to forget how broken they are inside.
trying anything to escape their minds.
escape their lives.
and, at the end of the day, that's all we want to do too.

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

Everyone is someone
In some way, shape, or form.
And everyone has been through hell
Or survived a storm.
Some made it out better than others.
Some didn't make it out at all.
Some were thanked for their bravery
By immortalizing their names on walls
But even if their names
Aren't on display for the world to see,
Everyone has someone
live in their hearts.
Even you and me.

Someone asked what America means to me.
Well, it's more than the land of the free and the home of the brave.
It's more than a place of opportunity
Or roads paved in gold.
It's pride.
America is its people, who come from all walks of life.
It's history.
It's the future.
It's humanity.
It's tragedy and cruelty.
So what does America mean to me?
America is everything.

Lately, I've been afraid to sleep.
Every time I start to dream,
I'm greeted by a banshee scream.
I find myself running but don't seem to go anywhere.
It feels like I'm on a set of m.c. escher stairs.
Eventually, I end up stumbling and fall.
And when I look up, I see the scariest thing of all.
She showed me a vision of a wall.
Engraved in the stones were all of the words I had been dying to say.
I thought I lost them.
But there they were just a few feet away.
The banshee screamed again and the ground started to shake.
The wall started to crumble and I knew I needed to fight. There was too much at stake.
I closed my eyes and focused on trying to breathe.
Then I started to believe.
I believed in myself.
That I'd find the words again.
And just like that, when I woke up, I found them right where they should have been.
Bottom line, don't be afraid to dream. Because eventually, you will realize everything is not what it seems.

Love me for who I am.
Love me for who I'm not.
If you can do that,
I'll give you everything I've got.

It seems like everywhere you look these days, you see something
that makes you want to close your heart,
your ears, your eyes.
Though the temptation gets stronger,
you keep agreeing to try one more time.
And for that, I just want to say thank you.

I'm sorry; I don't mean to pry.
But could someone please tell me why
it's so embarrassing to cry?
How many times have we said "I'm sorry"
only to say "babe, don't worry"
when it's the other way around?
Why do we have empathy for the wolves
when we cry for the same reasons?
Why are we so afraid to show our feelings
that we make up lies, like,
"it's the changing of the seasons"?
The behavior of a generation
won't change overnight.
But we need to start working
on being comfortable with expressing ourselves when something's not right.

My clothes
My body
My identity
These are not reflections of me
They're extensions of me

There are so many differences
between you and I that, I can't help but wonder: could it ever be worth the effort
to try to find a way for us to see eye to eye?

Give me your time,
I'll give you my word.
Give me your love,
I'll give you the world.
Tell me your dreams,
I'll help make them come true.
Just have faith in me
and I'll take care of you.

Standing on cloud 9 because you've joined your hand in mine.
And as the sun steps down to let the moon come out to play, we get ready to dance the night away.
Here in your arms, you make me feel safe and warm.
Here in your arms, I'm forever yours. Faithfully.

Every day, the fatigue that plagues my body gets closer to my brain. And, I can't help but wonder. When it gets there, will everything I've worked for be in vain? No! I can't think like that. Not when I'm so close to my dreams. But how can you fight exhaustion when everything exhausts you?

Hope is a horrible thing to be without.
Without it, you would surely drown in doubt.
A lot of people say they feel hopeless.
Here's the thing: the definition of hope
Is desire for or expectation
For something to happen.
Based on that definition, it's impossible to be without hope.
So, if hope never died, never left,
Where did it go?
What if your fear
that nothing would change
or get better overpowered your hope
That things would change
Or get better?
How do you get it back?
You tell fear you're not afraid anymore.
Then you show it the door.

Good. Bad.
Happy. Sad.
Love. Hate.
Lost.
Weak. Strong.
Right. Wrong.
Scared. Prepared.
These words don't define us.
They are feelings.
So please. Don't be afraid
If these words come across your mind.
Don't be afraid to admit that you feel that way.
Like everything else, they will go away in time.

You can work until your fingers bleed,
but that won't give you a sense of pride.
You can cry til you can't see the sky,
but nothing will change
until you're ready to try again.
Sometimes, doing something too much
is worse than not doing it at all.
Like everything else, it's all about balance.
So, for your sanity's sake,
take the time to find your limits,
and listen to your body
when it tells you to take a break.

It can be hard to find your way
When you watch the sun drown
In a sea of gray.
But it's okay.
The sun will come back another day.

There are so many faces
in so many places,
I'm sure I could get in someone's good graces.
But I can't get to know anyone at all
If I don't start to break down my wall

Are you sitting at home waiting for work to start? Just so you can have something
to take your mind off the pain filling your empty heart?
Are you having trouble falling asleep at night?
Wishing that the last thing you said wasn't the result of a fight?
Sometimes, we all say things we don't mean.
Whether it's because we're afraid,
because we're confused,
or somewhere in between.
But what we say isn't nearly as important as what we do.
So if you really want to prove you're sorry, don't just say you want to change. Follow through.

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.

First, I forgave the bullies
Who made me cry.
I didn't know your story.
You didn't ask for mine.
Now the hard part.
I forgive myself
for the mistakes I've made.
It's been a long, weird game.
But so far, I don't regret
The way I've played.

I'm not here to tell you
how to live your life.
All I ask is that
you don't look at the knife
With admiration or longing.
Because there's so much coming
That you can't see.
So please hold on.
If not for you, for me.

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.

For the first time,
I'm not sure what to say.
I can't tell you it will be okay
Because I don't fully believe it myself yet.
I can't tell you not to worry
Because we come from different worlds.
But they say it's times like these
You find out who your friends are.
So let me be clear.
For what it's worth,
You've got a friend in me.

As cold and lonely as the outside can be, there's a lot less drama and pressure;
You're free

I've made peace with my past.
With the memories I've lost.
With the memories that have lasted.
I've made my peace
with the people who hurt me.
With the people I've had to let go.
I've made peace with the fact that my life
will never fit neatly into a pretty little box topped with a bow.
And now that I've come so far,
now that I can truly leave the past in the past, all I can say is...I feel free at last.

As sure as rain in the spring
or heat in the summer,
this year is looking promising
to be another ******.
But as sure as the cold in the winter and fall,
My friends will be there
To help me through it all.

I'm not here for the silver and gold.
I am here to find somebody to hold.
Someone to wrap their arms around me tight
And make me forget it's a cold winter night.
It's been ten years since you stole my heart.
Now look where we are.
We've come so far from the start.
As you lie with me, watching the fire glow,
I still can't believe I'm the one that you chose.
We were friends in a small town,
Then we became something more.
I can't believe i never knew it was you I was waiting for.
We were friends in a small town,
Then you said "I do."
Because of you, I believe that dreams can come true.

If I get lost riding a train of thought,
Please don't come looking for me.
I won't want to be found.
And if you see me struggle to swim
In a sea of words, it's okay.
Let me drown.
Here and now, I promise
I'll come back to you someday.
But for now, I need to get away.

"I can't hear it anymore."
"You can't hear what anymore?"
"My heart."
"Don't you remember?
You gave it to me to comfort me if we ever drifted apart."

Let me be clear: it will never be easy.
But it can get better.
But only if you give yourself a chance.
A chance to breathe. To grieve.
To love yourself.
To believe that things can get better.
A chance to believe in yourself.
In the end, it does come down to you
to take the first step.
But once you do, take your time.
You have the rest of your life to follow through.

if you gave yourself half as much credit and praise
as people give you, I can't even imagine how much you could do.
take it from me.
it's easy to put yourself down.
but the only thing that will do is make you frown.
so, instead of saying "anyone can do that"
try saying "I did that!"
see how good it feels to give yourself a win.
then, maybe you can start to work on feeling comfortable
in your own skin.
like everything, it's a process.
so, don't be discouraged if you don't get the hang of it right away.
but, for what it's worth, I believe in you.
And I think you'll be okay.

Thought I had nothing to lose
Thought I had nothing to gain.
Just wanted someone to share the pain with.
Then one day you came along.
Made me feel I could be wrong.
You Made me feel like I could belong.
And just like that, I had a friend.
Now I don't want this life to end.
I don't know what I'd do without you.
Cause now I know I'm
Gonna be okay.
Cause now I have a reason to stay.