look

It's OK to have a bad day...as long as it doesn't turn into a bad week or month. Being down doesn't deserve that much time in your daily schedule.

If you think about it, most of the time it's not even necessary to make a "day" out of the bummer of a feeling. After all, it was just a moment that was "bad" right?

Stop allowing those moments to ruin all of the good things happening around you.

I refuse to believe the darkness of ill intentions can block out the rays of awesome surrounding us every day. Let go of the night, look towards dawn...it'll be here sooner than you think.

<3

play.

I know you are scared. I can see it in your eyes. Don't worry, I've been there, believe me. All of a sudden, things are changing...and the thought of a tune very different from the one you know, can be terrifying.

All I ask is you realize one thing. This isn't a crisis, this is a new beginning. You are starting the life you were meant to lead.

Things up until now haven't been a waste...they've been wands of wisdom and lyrical messages from the soul. So, take those tunes and make the music you were meant to play. Go forward without fear.

Look at me. Smile. The hard part is over.

Now, we sing as beams of light warm our faces and hearts. The words will come as the beat sets our easy new pace.

Now, we truly live.

flame.

You sit there...in the darkness, blinded by resentment. It poisons your life, seeps into every fiber of your soul. The bitter blackness of a spirit burnt by expectations.

Now, you search frantically. For light, a glimmer in the night...anything. How could they abandon you on your own? Without leaving guidance?

Have you ever thought that maybe, just maybe-you aren't meant to walk anywhere in the darkness right now? The temporary blindness is a gift, and if you would simply close your eyes to breathe, instead of feeling lost and out of control, you will feel safe.

Center yourself in the darkness. It's a reminder to be still. What you are searching for is inside, not the light provided by another.

Become your own flame. Burn brightly.

selfish.

Dear Friend,

I miss you, cry for you...grieve. Yet, I know my actions are selfish. The tears are for myself, lost without your laugh and wishing I could bring you back. You are in a wonderful place, living past the physical limitations that kept you from doing what you loved while you were here. I'm sure your days are filled with wine, singing, dancing, and swimming with other saints.

A life closer to the sun, how fitting. It makes sense, considering you were the ray of happiness for everyone in your presence. Smiling with the ability to turn the most stubborn scrooge into a softhearted sap.

Today, I will cry one more time...knowing full well I'm feeling sorry for myself. Drops of greedy rain, falling from my eyes. Craving one more hug, one more laugh, one more shot of energy from your smile. You made it possible to believe the impossible is a lie.

But, don't worry-I fully realize your gift to us. A perspective where holding back isn't an option, happiness is a choice, and being stingy with love...is a crime.

Thank you, for the positive push from above. Time to wipe my tears, and outfit myself with a grin. You've changed everyone around you, for the better. Now I leave this selfish sorrow to step into the light and warmth you left behind.

-Erica

*This post is dedicated to my dear friend Darcy Pohland. I love you, and can see you raising hell up there. Keep it up. There will never be another like you.

quiet.

I can feel the breeze as you pace by me. Wrapped up in your world of yesterday and tomorrow. Eyes shifting, as I see the gears in your head working overtime. Talking yourself into worry and doubt.

Be careful.

Your mind is speaking so loudly, it's drowning out the message your heart is trying to send. Shhh...listen, to the simple silence of your soul. It's when you reach the point of hearing nothing, you will realize you are everything.

<3

water.

Dear Family-
(yup, you are my blog family <3) I'm breaking my "normal" style to tell you about something very important. Near and dear to my heart, actually.

I talk about how happiness is simply misplaced. This is true. But for some, it's hard to simply survive. Despite the crappy state of parts of the world, if everyone pitches in, just a little, we can make a big difference.

That's where you come in.

You see, I'm giving up my birthday this year. Yup, you heard right. Giving it up so the gifts I would have gotten, can instead be turned into donations to a cause I care very much about. After all, I hardly even remember what I got last year.

I'm turning 29, and instead of asking for gifts, I'm asking for $29 or more from everyone I know. A lot of ppl don't realize that a billion people in the world are living without clean water. Millions contract deadly diseases from contaminated water. 45,000 people will die this week alone. 4,500 children will die, just today. It may seem overwhelming, but...if we all do just a little, we can accomplish a lot.

I'm not here to guilt ya into donating, I realize the economy sucks right now. If you can't, that is totally fine and you can still help by word of mouth--spreading awareness is just as important. :-)

Thanks for listening :-) If you've ever taken something from these words I write, this is your way to show me. But, if you don't...I will still love you, promise.

Here is the link for donating, the campaign runs through May. We can make a difference. Believe.

-E

forecast.

I can see you, allowing the stormy weather surrounding others, to determine the atmosphere you live in.

Just keep these things in mind:

1. When you think the sky is dark, the rain will drench you to the core.
2. When you complain about the brisk breeze, the cold will seek you out.
3. But, more importantly, when you seek sunshine it will find you. Because it was always there, you just needed to look behind the clouds to find it.

Create your own forecast, there are sunny days ahead. I promise. Now go, puke a rainbow. ;-)

seek.

What happens when we plant our gardens, and tulips spring up where we think the roses should be? More often than not, complaints flourish, about the flowers we didn't expect, instead of seeing the new blooms as a compliment to the surrounding stems.

We say our jobs make us wary, our family and friends exhaust us because they aren't doing what we want them to. What we expect them to do.

Stop expecting. Start creating. Manifest your own fate. If you leave it up to someone else you are a bud without water, in the middle of the desert waiting for rescue. Instead, seek out the spring, control your surroundings, and bring happiness into your life.

Once you nourish yourself, and colorful petals start to show, the weeds of the world will have no power. Don't you see? You have the means to create a garden of good. Stop sulking in the scorching sun. Get up, and plant yourself in a sanctuary of action and love.