Flashes

If your life,

Flashed before my eyes,

Would I see past,

Your disguise?

Your hopes,

And your dreams,

Your truths,

And your lies,

All the things,

That you despise.

All these years,

You’ve held it back,

When you thought,

It was a good thing to lack,

Originality,

Creativity,

Personality,

And ability,

These are the things,

In you,

We want to see.

It’s time to break down,

Those walls you’ve put up,

And let everyone see,

Who you really wanna be,

Break the lock,

And give us the key,

Spread out your roots,

Just like a tree.

Because if you’re hiding,

Who you are,

It’s harder,

To shine like a star,

And see,

Your dreams come true,

The only thing,

You gotta do,

Is be yourself.

Be yourself,

Not anyone else,

Be yourself,

You’ll see that it helps,

Deep inside,

You know who you are,

So let it out,

Shine brighter than a star.

And when you do,

This simple thing,

Your friendship will grow,

And your heart will sing,

You’ll find people,

To whom you’ll relate,

Sadness and tears,

Won’t be your fate,

It’s time for you,

To just open the gate,

Just open the gate,

To your soul.

True Acceptance

“Everyone has felt left out at one time or another . . .”

That was a time when we questioned why life was so hard.  A time when we wondered why someone would not be our friend.  Then that all changed…  We met people that wanted to hang out with us.  We met people that laughed at our jokes and would be there for us.  Most of all, we met people that changed us forever and we felt True Acceptance.

I can relate to this.  In high school I was left out of friendships and relationships due to my disability.  Whenever I tried to make new friends I was always stopped dead in my tracks.  Then, my disability was the big thing that held me back.  It erected a barrier that was almost impossible for me to get through.  I could not hang out at someone’s house because there were steps in the way.  It was hard for me to talk to anyone since I was so used to being ignored and to being let down.  The more I tried the more I seemed to fail, and that led to me becoming shy as time went on.  I did not think that I would ever feel True Acceptance.

But then I thought of an idea . . .

If people won’t easily open up to me, then why don’t I open up to them instead?  I decided to teach others about my disability and about optimism during my senior year of high school.  And I was surprised at the response that I got.  People began to talk to me more and finally connect with me.  Those that I had never talked to before became my friends and trusted me.  People told me that they were going through many of the same things that I was going through.  I was not the only one that felt left out and ignored.  I was not the only one that was shy and I was not the only one who wanted more with my life.  Most of all, I was not alone.

That is something that is hard for anyone to realize.  We see people around us having everything and find it hard to see through that veil we create.  No one has a perfect life full of friends that never get upset and no one is on top of the world.  To sum this concept up, here is a quote by the writer Ralph Waldo Emerson, “We are all inventors, sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided each by a private chart, of which there is no duplicate.  The world is all gates; all opportunities.”  Once we realize this one simple concept we can finally feel True Acceptance.  We can find people that share our fears and that share our ideas and become their close friends.  We can share our thoughts about something and know that there is always someone out there that agrees with them.  Most importantly, we can work together and try to get through this game called life.  Well, not just get through it, but learn from it and live it to the fullest.

Now I am in my first year of college. . .

And I’m so glad that I’ve brought this concept of True Acceptance along with me.  The people that I met here are the nicest people that I have ever known.  They always give you a smile and do all they can to help each other out.  These amazing people aren’t, like in high school, striving to get the most friends and striving to be more “popular” than anyone else.  My newest and greatest friends are just trying to form friendships that will last as long as possible since they all know that we are in the same boat together.  Now that I know this myself I can give all that they give me back to them.  Not only do I now feel True Acceptance, my friends feel it too.

Listen

Is there anyone out there?

Is there anyone,

Who hears the words I say?

I feel like my life,

Is slipping away,

I need someone,

To help me make it through today,

I need someone to listen,

Someone to listen.

Now we’ve all felt,

That way before,

When all the good things,

Went out the door,

There was no one to turn to,

No one to pick us up,

Off the floor,

But now it’s time,

For all that to change.

When your friend needs,

A helping hand,

Make up your mind,

That it’s time to make a stand,

Reach out and say,

Is everything okay?

Don’t just run away,

Back to your own life,

Far from the strife.

Yes, there’s somebody out there,

Somebody,

Who hears the words you say,

When you feel your life,

Is slipping away,

When you need someone,

To help you make it through today,

There will be someone to listen,

Someone to listen.

Wouldn’t you want,

Someone to be there,

When you don’t know what to do?

Wouldn’t you want,

Someone to help you?

Here’s your chance,

To make things right,

Be someone who listens,

When life turns into a fight.

Sometimes We Realize

Sometimes we realize,

We are running out of time,

To make things right,

For everything to be fine,

When your life,

Is slipping away,

Don’t let sadness,

Be the thing to stay.

Just look back,

At all the great days,

The time of your life,

In many different ways,

When you spent time,

Taking in the sun’s rays,

Look at all the people,

In your life you amaze.

Don’t let the sadness,

Get in your head,

No matter what anyone,

Else may have said,

Even if you think the end,

May be just around the bend,

Your smile, your passion,

Your heart made of gold,

These are the things,

That will never grow old.

And when you think,

Life is falling apart,

Think of the things,

That you learned from the start,

How to take all the love,

You have in your heart,

And spread it,

Farther than the eye can see,

From people like you,

To people like me.

And when in the end,

When you can’t carry on,

You’ll look back at all,

The things that you’ve done,

And see that you,

Had a great life,

Being optimistic,

And avoiding the strife.

And you’ll also know,

That you’ll be remembered,

Forever and ever,

Endlessly and eternally,

As one who was,

More happy and pure,

Than anyone could possibly be…