Never let someone who hasn't been in your shoes tell you how to tie your laces.
Laces are complicated, and they take time to figure out.
If you can't tie your laces, you'll figure it out eventually.
It's okay if you need help tying your laces, we all start somewhere.

Are your laces *****? We can clean them.
Too thin? It'll work out somehow.
Thick? We'll find a way.
If you have velcro instead, that's okay too.

You can't tie your laces in a normal way? We can find another one, even if it's more complex.
If you don't tie your laces, you'll fall in them.
If you do, you can keep walking, maybe even run,
and eventually forget you had laces in the first place.

In the end, you'll realise that,
your laces, messy or neat,
have always been yours,
and that's enough.

Flowers are different. Just like us.
They all have different shapes, but that's what makes them special.
They shine so brightly, in different colors.
They have uniquely shaped petals.
They possess captivating qualities.
And each have their own story, all just like us.

Our stories begin and end the same,
Yet we're all so different from each other.
Every person you see, a friend, colleague, even a stranger.
They all have their stories.

Some flowers live in remotely good environment, others had to fight to survive.
There's also flowers which are well liked for their appearances,
while others get overlooked because they're "unattractive."

Dandelions go far and wide,
Meanwhile mimosa's stay in the same place, although they have potential.
Sunflowers take the easy road, they rely on birds to spread their seeds.
Lotus flowers stay to what they know best.
All just like us.

Sakura blooms are fragile, they die easily,
Cacti have learnt to live independently, without anyone else,
Both die without proper care in the end,
One is just quicker than the other.

We all grow, we all wither, yet our stories live on,
Just like the flowers, always finding a way to bloom again,
Whether quick to bloom or slow to grow,
We all find our place under the same sky,
Reaching for the light.

Love is everywhere,
It's in your friends, in your colleagues,
and even you.

Though sometimes we wonder,
If love is everywhere, why can't we find it?
Why is it sometimes so hard to find that person for us?
The person who seemingly makes our lives "special"
The person who makes us smile and laugh.
The person who makes us feel like the only person in the world?

I've looked for that love everywhere,
but every face I see, has another lying in beneath.
Every love I've found, hasn't seen me as theirs.
I watch as everyone has someone who will listen to all their troubles,
someone who makes them laugh and smile,
someone who makes them feel like the only person in the world.

I wonder, why can't that be me?
Is it something to do with my personality?
Maybe I'm not tall enough, blonde enough, or even pretty enough?
Or I'm just not loveable enough.

I'm always told to be patient, wait for my time.
But everyday I just get closer to the line,
Of hoping that someone I'll love will be mine.

We were asked, "What are your strengths and weaknesses?"
I kept looking at the paper as if it was written in an ancient language.
I repeated the question in my head, I'll think of something, right?
Such a simple question, yet my mind was blank.

I could think of so many weaknesses, but so little strengths.
Were strengths something I had to excel at? Do I just lie?
I couldn't mention a strength, I didn't want to seem arrogant.
I couldn't mention a weakness either, so I wouldn't seem like an attention seeker!

It felt funny, I could mention the strengths of those around me,
When it came to myself I was just empty.
Time was fleeting, it was running out,
The more I thought about it, the worse it got.

I began thinking of all the stuff I was good at, or so I thought.
"No, no, no, no!" Why couldn't I think of anything? Was I just talentless?
Why was I so bad at everything?

Everything suddenly went quiet
So peaceful, so relaxing..
I can't hear a thing, except
the faint sound of my own footsteps,
even though I can't feel the ground.

Everything's moving, yet nothing makes a sound.
Lips changing form, yet no words are spoken aloud.
Running and screaming, still nothing.
I've seen all this before.

These are the best moments of my life.
Yet I can't bring myself to feel happy about it.
I can't feel happy or sad or all the emotions in between.
I try to reach out for these memories, but nothings what it seems.

This world was so enchanting, so peaceful that it felt like death.
So peaceful in fact, I couldn't even hear the screams and tears.
Couldn't hear anything more.
Couldn't move, couldn't see anything,
apart from that which has been seen.

The door closed. It felt like forever, when it was really just 7 seconds.
In those 7 seconds, I relive what was best.
7 seconds of true peace and happiness.
7 seconds of tears of fear.
7 seconds for my blood to turn yellow.
7 seconds for my eyes to lose their spark.
The eyes that once were bright, now hollow.