When she goes out, it's like it's her last night alive.
When he goes out, he clears his mind by taking a midnight drive through the countryside.
After a long night alone in an empty bar, she decided to take a chance and get in her car.
He went out too but didn't make it very far. Only 10 miles.
10 miles from home, 2 lives were lost.
10 miles from home, she didn't think about the cost.
10 miles from home, 2 families will never be the same.
10 miles from home stands a memorial with a picture and their names

Pro isn't just short for professional.
Each letter represents a skill needed
To be considered a professional.
P is for persistence.
For every one time someone says yes,
Many no's will come before.
Especially early in your career.
But if you have the patience,
The passion,
the heart to follow through,
You can make your dreams come true.
R is for respect.
If you don't respect people
And their criticisms,
Nothing will happen.
If your coworker or investor doesn't
Respect you, however,
Don't be afraid to walk away.
O is for out of the box thinking.
If you can't find a solution
for a problem in a creative way,
It will be much harder to stand out.
It's good to take risks as long as you
Understand the potential consequences and accept them.
Good luck in 2021

It's not about the bad times.
It's not about the good times.
It's about all the times.
The heartache and the pain.
The kisses in the rain.
There's so much for you to gain
If you don't worry
About your heart getting stained

Words can hurt. Words can heal. Words in a book can make you believe anything is real. Words can bring people together or tear them apart. It all depends on the kind of conversation you want to start.

You don't have to wish you could be strong.
It takes courage to stay alive when you feel trapped and in pain.
You didn't know it,
but you've been strong all along.
You don't have to wish you could feel like you had somewhere to belong.
You're human.
You're in a club bigger than you could ever imagine.
So go ahead. Sing your song.
You don't have to be afraid you aren't enough.
You standing here proves you can push through when the going gets rough.
Bottom line, you don't have to think, wish, or be afraid of anything
Because you already are everything.

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.

You will forget.
If you don't already, you will have regrets.
You will struggle. You will fall.
But you'll still keep going in spite of it all.
You will get angry. You may not understand. But that doesn't make you a failure,
or any less of a woman or man.
I know I'm not telling you anything new.
I just hope you take it easy on yourself
for going through things
everyone goes through.

Once upon a time, I willed myself to dream
that you'd care if I wore my heart on my sleeve. Ever since, I have.
But not for you.
I do it for me.

It seems like it's getting harder to know
if it's OK to say or do something these days. Maybe it's because I'm getting older.
Maybe it's because I care more.
Regardless of why, I must admit I find myself somewhere between sad and scared.
Sad and scared that I can't keep up.
Sad and scared that I'm slowing down.
Maybe you are too. If that's the case,
I'll tell you what I've been telling myself
when I feel this way: it's healthy to be sad.
It's healthy to be afraid.
And if you're being healthy,
you don't have to feel guilty
or let it ruin your day.

What I saw didn't change me
What I believed didn't change me
The people I let love me changed me.

I'm not as concerned with what
I leave behind
As much as I am about
who I leave behind.
Because when I die,
it'll be like I'm blind.
And as much as people
can be black holes,
People can also be
the sun, moon, and stars;
Ready to help you wherever you are.
So that's why I want to live.
Not just for me;
but to stand beside someone
Who stands by me.

Pressure in my head
Pressure in my heart
All this pressure from society
Is tearing me apart.
They try to tell me what to want.
Try to tell me who to be.
Starting to feel like freedom's
Just a fallacy.
If I can't be by your side
With a thought to call my own,
Maybe it's time for me to leave.
Maybe I'm better off alone.
I thought I'd miss your kiss.
I thought I'd miss your smile.
And I won't lie,
They cross my mind
every once in a while.
But then I remember who I am.
I remember who I want to be.
and I remember how good it feels
When the pressure's off of me.

Putting the pencil to the page is like watching your favorite band live on stage.
Your heart starts pumping. And for a moment, you can forget all of your pressure. All your regret

It's not about the love or the hate.
It's about being able to resonate.
It's not about the fame, fortune, or gold.
It's about trying to tell a story in a world
where it seems every story's already been told. And don't be afraid to tell us
if you don't understand. We get it.
No one is going to relate to every painting, movie, or band.
At the end of the day, all we want to do
is help you escape.
And if we inspire or entertain you
along the way, then all the pain is worth it.
No matter what the naysayers say.

If you want him, I could be the guy
Who makes you believe
That everything will be alright.
If you want him, I could be the guy
Who holds you til the morning light.
If you want him, I could be the guy
Who stays home with the baby
So you can have a girl's night.
I can be almost anyone
You want me to be
As long as I can still be me.

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.

Tonight, I'm going to let you go
Because I don't feel like
there's any room left for our love to grow

Look, I understand.
You don't want to open your eyes
to a world full of despair and lies.
Believe me. I was the same way.
Numb to the core acting like I don't care anymore.
Then I realized that's not true.
I care just as much as you.
I just had to realize we aren't defined
by the actions of a man named trump sitting on his golden ****. Now I know the world's not that scary.
It's extraordinary
because I see the fight in the people who keep the light alive.
Who want to do more than just survive.
Don't say ignore the haters and the doubters
because they are the ones who fuel our powers.
I hope when you read this, you don't cheer or hate.
Just resonate with what I'm trying to say.
The problems of the world won't go away tonight or tomorrow.
But if we band together, our strength will grow forever and ever. And maybe one day, we can rise up and say
let's not make America great again;
let's make the whole world great again.

Tonight's story doesn't start
With once upon a time
Or take place in an enchanted land.
It doesn't have magic or dragons,
Kings or queens.
It doesn't even feature a grand adventure.
But it's still a great one all the same.
Because, you see, tonight's story is your story
Told by me.
You may not like your story
Because it's always been told
from your point of view.
But that's why I'm telling it.
So when you look in the mirror,
You see something new.

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

Every day, I get out of bed
And wait for work so I can stay out of my head.
For 8 to 9 hours a day, I talk to people I barely know.
but it's a big relief because I'm not the star of the show.
When you live life on the autism spectrum, the mind can be a scary place.
You question every decision you make, and just talking to people can make your heart race.
It can make you feel alone. Frustrated. Sad.
But it's not all bad.
People on the spectrum see the world in a way most could never understand.
It's beautiful. And we want you to experience it. That's why we reach out for your hand.
We want to connect.
But it takes a while to learn how.
If you can be patient, when we're ready, we'll show you the world in a different way. I promise it will make you say "wow."

One day, you're one step forward,
Two steps back.
You wonder if you'll ever be on the right track.
The next day, you're three steps ahead
Of everyone else
And you start to feel proud of yourself.
Every day is different.
But that's what makes it so exciting.
Roll with the punches,
And you'll come out bright as lightning

So much time to win.
So much time to lose.
So much time to think.
So much time to choose.
So much time to love.
So much time to hate.
So much time to give.
So much time to take.
So much time to be afraid.
So much time to be brave.
So much time between
the cradle and the grave.
So much time to create.
So much time to destroy.
So much time to unapologetically
Be who you want to be.

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?

Time doesn't heal. You do.
Love doesn't conquer all.
But you can when you're ready.
And it's okay if you're not ready.
It takes time to be strong.
Don't be afraid to live young.
Because you won't be for long.

You can't change how people see you.
But you can change how you see yourself.

I left myself behind
To follow you
Blindly.

I want to tell you that it's going to be alright.
I want to tell you whatever I have to to get you through the night.
I want to tell you how proud I am that you asked for help as i hold you tight.
No matter how much you scream and cry and shake, I won't give up the fight.
I want to tell you that it's not your fault.
And as we sit by the fire, watching it fill the room with warmth and light, I want to tell you that it's going to be alright

If we experience death
While we're alive,
Could we experience life
When we're dead?

sitting in the dark but not feeling alone.
just trying to hide from the crazy the world has shown.

Sometimes, life is good.
And sometimes, it's bad.
Sometimes, life can even seem cruel.
But it can also be special.
Like when you become a mom or dad.
Now that we've talked about
What life is sometimes,
Let's talk about what it is all the time.
When it comes down to it,
Life is life.

There may be times
When we don't see eye to eye.
And our hearts may never beat as one.
But that doesn't mean
We can't work together.
After all, they say opposites attract.
So, what do you say we sit back
And let the chemicals react.

I'll give it one more day. One more time.
One more step. One more try. One more smile. One more laugh. One more hug. One more kiss. One more shot at happiness.
Just in case the next one
is the one that matters

I know that what I've done so far
Has really helped people.
But sometimes, I wish I didn't care so much. Sometimes, I would give anything to be numb. Because it's so exhausting being a castle of glass. I can't sleep. I can't breathe. Because every day,  I feel myself getting one step closer to the catalyst. The thing that makes me ready to take everything I've built and burn it down. Because in the end, does any of it really matter?

I don't see how it could get better.
But I don't see how it could be worse either.
Am I trying too hard or not enough?
What if it's both?
What if all the answers
are in the space between?
We always say there's 2 sides to every story. What if the truth is in the middle?

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

My 500th poem, on my 9 year anniversary of writing. Perception of time.

It seems like nothing can humble you
faster than time. It affects everyone,
regardless of race, gender, or age.
And yet, it somehow feels personal
when bad things happen
depending on what stage of life we're in.
But what if it isn't time that changes us.
What if it's our perception of time
that changes us? When we're young,
time seems to move so slow.
But the older you get, all time sees to do
is go, go, go. What if we never lose
or run out of time.
What if it's the stress of living that's committing the crime of breaking us down.

In a world where employers
and broken systems treat you like a number, and you always feel like number 2,
I hope that some day,
someone tells you that you're their number 1, and they become yours too.

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.

Lonely days turn into Lonely nights.
The Lonely heart: the casualty
of one too many fights.
About commitment, parenting.
Money. Responsibility.
But not all hope is lost, Lonely heart!
You've fought before. You've lost before.
And as long as you keep fighting,
someday you will see Sweet victory.

Someday, you may lose your faith.
You may lose your way.
But, once you understand
it's not your fault if that happens,
you can find new things
to have faith in.

Take a chance. Take a bow.
Take a walk with me now.
Take my hand. We'll take this world by storm. You will never be ignored again.
Take this life. Take control.
Who cares what the future holds?
Burn the bridges to the past.
The memories were never meant to last.
All we have is all we need.
Living in the moment feels so free.
But like all good things,
the time has come to say goodbye.
"Goodbye, 20s! We sure had one hell of a ride."

Blue,  red, yellow, green.
So many colors and shades in which the world can be seen

The end is coming.
Can't you hear the bumblebees humming?
They know that soon, their Christmas will be here
and once again, the sky will be sunny and clear.
Lots of work has to be done but they're not afraid;
they know they're doing good for everyone.
As we embrace the summer breeze,
let us lie in the grass and thank our fellow bees.

If something good happens,
Don't ask why or how.
Just enjoy it and accept it now.
Because you never know
When something bad will happen.
And when it does,
Don't ask why or how.
You can do that later.
Now is the time to deal with it
And heal from it.

"How are you today?"
"Honestly? Stuck. Frustrated.
Like I want to give up."
"Okay. What's making you feel that way?"
"It's been a long time coming.
I feel like I've tried so hard
To find happiness.
I'm trying to talk to people.
I'm doing things I love.
But no matter what I do,
I just feel empty. Alone."
"Most of the time, happiness
Is a watched ***; it won't happen
If you're trying to find it.
Same goes for love.
Let me ask you this.
What does happiness mean to you?"
"Uh...I don't know? Hakuna matata?
Being able to actually laugh.
Being able to breathe."
"And can you do that
If you spend all your energy
Trying to force that?"
"Okay. I get your point.
I'm trying too hard.
So what do I do?"
"Let happiness find you."

You built the walls
to keep yourself safe.
But the question isn't
"will they come down."
The question is
will you LET them fall on top of you,
or MAKE them fall next to 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.

I can't tell you why.
I can't tell you how to say goodbye.
But what I can tell you
Is I'll be here to hold you
if you need to cry.
And if you need to be alone,
I won't be far.
Just on the other side of the door.
And when you need it, I'll remind you
They're still with you
Even if they're not here anymore.

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.