Fight

The fact of the matter is that life is just hard sometimes.
And it's easy to lose ourselves in the hardness of it.
In all the false starts and futile attempts.
In all the dreams still dreams.
But without dreams and hopes and inspiration, what is there left to strive for?

I get why it's easier -- safer perhaps -- to just accept defeat than to crash in continual disappointment.
But that's the tricky thing about life.
You just never know when something could change for the better.
When wounds could heal.
When you might catch a break.
Or achieve the most impossible dream.

So fight against the mundanity. Every day.
Fight against the hard to reconcile reality glaring in stark contrast against the entire universe you've dreamed up for yourself.
Fight against depression. Against anxiety. Against any and all voices that would seek to silence you, or to sentence you to a fate that was never ever intended to be yours.
Fight to hold on.
Just a little bit longer.
Knowing that, believing that, there is beauty to be found in all of it.

Self-Care Days

Every day should be a self-care day.
We get so busy.
We forget that our hearts and souls need rest.
We forget to stop and breathe.
To delight in the little things.

Sunshine.
Friendship.
Nature.
Small, unexpected surprises.
Pets and people who love unconditionally.

We forget to hurt and to heal.
To let ourselves feel and process and think.
To allow ourselves to give up and to begin again.
To simply be okay with our existence in this universe,
With the chaotic craziness of it all.
With change, and loss, and new realities.

Always remembering grace.
Always reminding ourselves
That love is fuel,
And we burn brighter and stronger
When we pour into ourselves and in each other.

Birthday Revelations

None of our lives are perfect. None of us have arrived. What we don't often see in the day to day of cliché conversations and social media shares are the things we miss. The people we miss. The hard days. The broken days. The days where we wonder if any of this life stuff is worth it. The days where our dreams seem infinitely impossible.

But we hold onto the moments. The seconds. The brief breaths that sustain us until the next -- the next second of inspiration, of connection, of hope. We hold on, and we remind ourselves that beauty is often found in the seemingly insignificant snapshots of our lives. In the grit, and the grain, and the grace of it all.

Winter

I am drawn to contrasts. To the desert and the desolate. To the cold, frozen tundra. For even in the desert, brilliant species of cacti thrive. Even in an Icelandic winter, emerald moss sprawls itself on the rugged terrain and grass emerges beneath the snow and ice. Waves crash on the frozen, rocky shores, and the mountains sparkle with dustings of powdered sugar snow against periwinkle skies.

Winter can be harsh, but life emerges despite its harshness. If things were always warm and pleasant and easy, I would never know what it’s like to be challenged. To die and be reborn. To face my utter weaknesses and yet be surprised by my secret strengths.

So I embrace you, winter. I embrace you — understanding that you, my dear familiar winter, may not always give way to spring. But I will try to hold on to the little things. How the crispness of your air reminds me that blood flows through my veins. How you welcome the sun’s warmth, just as summer does. And how you show me over and over again that life not only persists, but thrives, under your brilliantly bright cloak of white.

Remember

Remember who you are.
Remember how far you’ve come.
Remember the stars
In all their brilliance –
In their constant companionship
On the darkest, coldest midnights.
Remember the moon,
How it glows for you.
To guide you,
To remind you,
That light is always present, 
Even when you cannot see it.
Remember the sun –
How it rises every single day, 
Of every single month,
Of every single year.
How it rises with promise,
And hope, and warmth.
These are just a few
Of a million quiet reminders
That you are not alone in this universe.
That your path holds purpose.
That your story is a work of art,
Still unfolding, and evolving,
And becoming more and more beautiful,
So remember who you are.
Remember how far you’ve come –
And how far you’ve yet to go.