Author: Elena

I was born and raised in the Bay Area. Growing up, I went to Berkeley public schools up until I left California to attend McDaniel College, located in Westminster, MD. I graduated from McDaniel College with a B.A. in Theatre Arts with a focus in Acting.

Rose-Colored Glasses/Seeing Things As They Really Are

Ever heard of “rose-colored” glasses? I know it is something a lot of people know about, but do not know that name for it. It is like we see the world through these rose-colored glasses, which means we see things in a perfect world and when nothing goes wrong. It is like living in a dream world when we wear them. When we take them off we see things for how they really are. There is nothing wrong with wearing these glasses because like I said before, they help you see the goodness all around you, but they do not always help. You become blinded by what you do not see. There is a quote I found to kind of explain it a bit more. “Do you look at life through rose coloured glasses? I crushed mine so I could see the truth.” In other words, we sometimes take off our glasses to see the truth around us. I have to admit that it takes some time to see this, but if we look hard enough we can spot it. Sometimes we have to let go of our expectations and things that hold us back in order to see the truth. So, I am going to keep this post short.

I just want to remind my readers that it is okay to keep your rose-colored glasses, but it is also okay to take them off. I just want to conclude this post with one more quote to justify a case in which it is perfectly okay to wear these rose-colored glasses and maybe I will talk about this in another post. “See everything through rose-colored glasses and be happy with the little things in our life.” The one thing I may talk about more in another post are the little things in life. We want to enjoy them to the fullest that we can and in moments like that it is okay to wear the rose-colored glasses. I will leave that choice up to my readers. Do whatever is best for you individually. In the meanwhile, enjoy this poem. Happy reading!!

Taking Off the Rose-Colored Glasses

Maybe it is going to be onto better and brighter
Things. There is a brighter smile and a better
Life without you being right in the center of
The storm. Every step away from you is lighter.
Darling, you let me take off the heavy sweater
Without suffocating me. You taught me to love

Myself more than I could ever be loving anyone
Or anything else. It is like life has a whole new
Meaning without you to steer or guide it where
You want it to be going. Darling, it is like the sun
Has come from behind the dark and stormy blue
Sky. I know that there is way more oxygen and air

To breathe in without the toxins surrounding
Me. I used to think I was making some terrible
Or awful mistake, but I was right in cutting ties
This time around. My heartbeat was pounding
Loudly like drums, but everything was bearable,
Including the pain. The tears cleansed my eyes

And I could finally see things for how they really
Were. I was not living or watching through rose
Colored glasses anymore when things were perfect
Everything was no longer feeling ice cold or chilly
Like the windowpanes in the snowstorm. I chose
My life over everyone else’s. Everything was clicked

And locked into place, but I knew that they could
Not stay that way forever when things were going
Around in circles instead of being straight or linear.
I just had to let things go and drift away like wood
Floating along the river stream. I was just showing
That the world’s beauty was going to be shinier.

Beginning of Spring and Cleansing

We are within the first month or so of spring. I do not know what everyone else’s favorite season is, but spring is definitely one of my favorite seasons of the whole year. There is just something amazing about spring. I do not know if it is because there is more sun or maybe the fact that winter is finally over. It is interesting to talk about the transition from winter to spring both physically and mentally. In winter it is like you carry everything heavy and spring is usually light. Winter this year has especially been hard on me. We do have to thank winter for making spring such a pleasant feeling. There is this quote by Anne Bradstreet that explains it so well. She says “If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant.” So yeah, as much as we try to hate on winter and curse it… we thank it too because without it we probably would not have spring.

I think I really like spring because it represents something symbolic. It is like our soul and everything within us is cleansed. It is like what we call “spring cleaning.” We get rid of the things that are heavy and we throw away the old junk. I think that it is important to have spring because it is a lot like starting over. As much as we want to not do any spring cleaning, it is extremely helpful and therapeutic anyways. William Morris says “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” There is something so beautiful and rewarding about spring cleaning. The last thing is that there is always going to be spring no matter what. Welcome it with open arms. I know that there is so much more I can say, but I will stop there. I will conclude by posting one more quote… it’s one of my favorites by Pablo Neruda “You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep spring from coming.” So I advise my readers to accept spring. I hope that this poem puts you in a good mood. Happy spring and happy reading!!

Springtime

Your beauty always comes from behind the clouds,
Like a halo of light that has saved me from the tears
That poured down like raindrops of winter. Crowds

Of flowers that bloom like there are no bad years
Or days coming ahead. Eyes that still watch over me.
Your sunshine that leads me straight to the stairs

Of heaven. Nobody could ever predict or foresee
How important you are to me and how everything
About you helped me grow. Petals that hold the key

To living life, we cannot always hang onto or cling
Onto what holds us back. Everything from the past
And those things that are heavy belong to be a fling

Or temporary. There is a lot of strength that will last
Forever. There is everything bad that will unroll.
Darling, you have turned me into an enthusiast

Of everything spring and light. I have a clean soul
That is ready for giving and receiving. Love that
Is ready to be accepted fully 100%. Every hole

That is ready to be fixed. Your words, no longer flat
Or falling on deaf ears. That ice smashed with a bat.

Breaking Free

I know I have talked about in great length about being your own normal, etc. This subject matter is something extremely close to my heart. Some people live in between the lines and follow the rules. That is okay if you want to be boring and just like everyone else. It is alright to color outside of the lines and live outside of the box. That simply may mean to break rules. There is this saying that goes something like rules are meant to be broken. Besides that is what makes life more fun and interesting. Make and break the rules all you want to because nobody can stop you. You sometimes do have to know the rules before you break them. The Dalai Llama says it the best way. “Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively.” I want everyone to take that to heart because there are effective ways to break the rules once you know them.

I have always looked up to my mom because she has always been the rebel of the family. It reminds me of this quote by Thomas Jefferson that is on a shirt I got once upon a time. “A little rebellion now and then is a good thing.” My goodness, I could not agree more! Rebellion shows that we do not always like the norm. My mom certainly is not a part of the norm and that is how I want to be too. Be crazy, wild, and spontaneous. Rebel and protest against something you do not believe in. Sometimes the best things come out of rebellion and protest.

Things become a little more tricky in regards to religion and politics. I will talk about it a little here since I have been around it, especially politics. I have not really been around religion because my parents do not practice, but my mom’s family used to be a part of the church. My mom made the decision to not be a part of the church and that is how she showed her rebellion. There is so much to be said about rebellion, etc. One of the best quotes I came across in my search comes from Anthony Anaxagorou who says “Rebellion is when you look society in the face and say I understand who you want me to be but I’m going to show you who I actually am.” Anyways, that is just a little snippet.

Politics, I can go on and on about, but one thing I want to state is that politics is all about rebelling, especially with a lot of the things going on with the Trump administration. There were many great signs at the women’s march back in January, but one of my favorite’s was “A woman’s place is in the resistance,” which is a take on Princess Leia in Star Wars. So go break rules and live your life away from rules society makes. Happy reading and “May the force be with you!!” And this poem that I am sharing with you today won runner up for a competition I participated in on DUP.

Breaking Free From The Rules of Society

Darling, I am a rebel who is breaking all of the rules.
Punish me all you want to, but I do not want to be
Like everyone else. I do not care if we act like fools.

I just want to feel the wind in my hair and be free
Like wild animals that roam this earth. I want to
Embody spirits who float. I want to be beastly,

Not caring if I look pretty or not. I envy this blue
Sky, carefree and like the calm waters after a storm.
Be like thunder and lightening because you do

Not have to be quiet. Be passionate, fiery and warm
In a world that can be too cold or stiff. You make
Your own rules as you follow your own road. Form

Your own thoughts and beliefs. Never let people take
Their version of God to shove it down your throat
Because there is no room to be insincere and fake.

P.S. I wanted to post this as close as I could to all of the student walk outs after the school shooting in Florida. My heart goes out to each and every one of you. And may we all find a way to stop these shootings once and for all. It all goes way beyond just thoughts and prayers. I was lucky enough to attend the March For Our Lives Rally in Downtown Oakland. And because of that I am including another poem I wrote.

Stop the Mass Shootings

Lay down every single weapon and gun.
Nobody needs to get hurt or murdered
In cold blood again. You think that the sun
Light feels bad, but it is the un-nurtured
Hate that is much stronger. How can you
Ever prey on innocent children, people
And bystanders? Nobody can feel too
Safe, even in a church, school, steeple
And at a concert we can no longer feel
Protected. Too many innocent lives
At risk. Even the place where we kneel
In protest should be defended. The knifes
Should not stab us in the back anymore.
We are all equals and an end to this war.

Pain

First of all, I just want to apologize for being away for a while. I hope that you all did not miss me too much. We are all different so we all deal with things like pain, in different ways. That is a given. Pain comes in different forms like physical pain and emotional pain. We automatically associate pain with being hurt. They go hand in hand together. I am sorry to say this, but nobody can avoid pain forever. It is not so much about the pain, but how you deal with the pain. Marc Maron says it best. “You can’t avoid pain in life. It’s how you handle pain, that’s what defines you.” I deal with the pain by writing about it and talking about it. There are some times when I stay quiet and do not say anything about it. It is okay to speak up about it because like I said before, pain and being hurt go hand in hand.

As crazy as this sounds, the pain does eventually go away. It may not seem like it will, but over time it will and there will be some pain that may stick around. This quote by Philippos Syrigos says it the best. “Pain never really goes away; you just elevate and get used to it by growing stronger.” In other words, the pain never truly goes away, but you gets used to it and makes you feel stronger. It makes you feel tougher and maybe closer to being indestructible. Not quite indestructible all the way, but it makes you feel like you can handle anything once you handle and deal with the pain. You learn so much through the pain. One of my favorite quotes by Alicia Taylor says it best. “Sometimes you must to hurt in order to know, fall in order to grow, lose in order to gain, because life’s greatest lessons are learned through pain.” And she is so right. Things in life feel painful and hurt a lot, but you have to go through all of the pain to learn those lessons.

Like I said before, you should know at least how to deal with the pain. Some people know how to, but some people do not and that is okay. You eventually learn over time. You just sometimes have to simply deal with it. James Jones said it best. “He knew how to handle pain. You had to lie down with pain, not draw back away from it. You let yourself sort of move around the outside edge of pain like with cold water until you finally got up your nerve to take yourself in hand. Then you took a deep breath and dove in and let yourself sink down it clear to the bottom. And after you had been down inside pain a while you found that like with cold water it was not nearly as cold as you had thought it was when your muscles were cringing themselves away from the outside edge of it as you moved around it trying to get up your nerve. He knew pain.” In other words, it is acknowledging and knowing pain. Sometimes it may not seem as bad as it looks or feels. One of the best feelings is when the pain stops. For a lot of people, it may not, but for some it may stop all the way. It is like seeing again for the first time or like a new dawn or day or however you want to look at it. It feels so liberating. Here is to all of my readers, may you find a way to deal with the pain.

I can go on and on about pain. I could tell you why it comes and how to deal with it, but everyone is different in that, so why bother. All I can do is to make some final pieces of advice… Whatever you do, do not not ignore it because if you ignore it, pain will fester and may turn into something even worse. We can end up hurting ourselves or worse, unintentionally hurting others. Dean Kootz, I think says it the best way. “Pain can be endured and defeated only if it is embraced. Denied or feared, it grows.” So in other words, we should never ignore the pain. I am not here to say you should stay with it for long, but everyone is different. There are so many amazing quotes out there about pain and how to deal or cope with it. So I will stop there. Here is a poem to make everyone realize that there is almost always something good after the pain and that although it hurts now, it will go away after some time. I just want to make one final point which is although you are dealing with pain now, you should never give someone else pain on purpose. I just wanted to point that out. Cheers!!

When The Pain Stops

The tears stopped coming. For once it felt
Like both my heart and me could breathe
Again after all of the pain. I have dealt
With the devil, but no longer. I unsheathe
The anger and frustration. It is like I can
Finally see every color and sunrise again.
There is a change to every person and plan
I once had. I broke free from every chain
That bounded and tethered me to that
Bone splintering heartache. Everything
That used to make me want to take a bat
And smash it all into pieces that cling
To my skin does not hold that power
Over me anymore. I do not hide in
The shadows and darkness or cower
In corners anymore. I smile and grin
Like I have never been hurt before.
I stand and walk through that door.

Unrequited Love/Crush

We all know that feeling, right? That feeling when we love someone or have a crush on someone, but they do not feel the same way about us. That is called “unrequited love.” It basically means it is all one sided. Here is a quote I found among the many about unrequited love. Suzanne Harper says, “Problems can be fixed. But unrequited love is a tragedy.” Growing up I almost always had a crush on someone who did not feel the same way I did or just completely ignored me. I had a crush on the jock or one of the popular guys and I was always one of the quiet or shy girls. It happens to all of us. It is awful and makes us feel bad. It makes us feel unappreciated and makes us have the worst self esteem, like am I not good enough or why doesn’t he/she like or love me back? And I have also been on the other side too where someone liked me, but I did not like them back like that. It sucks, but you cannot force chemistry with just anyone. So I know what it is like on both sides and what I am saying is that it sucks, but happens anyways.

Sometimes it happens where someone likes you and you like them, so it would be a requited like/love like you both mutually like or love each other. And that is great when that happens, but sometimes it is a rarity. So I really sympathize with my readers, understanding everyone’s frustration and heartache. Sometimes you will look back and say damn, I missed my chance or it is a good thing they did not love/like me back because of the person they turned out to be. I look back on some of the crushes I had and wonder why I liked them to begin with. There were rare chances when they actually treated me well. Then some of that changed as I got older. I am sharing two poems to share two different sides of the spectrum. Happy reading and enjoy!! And a late happy Valentine’s Day to all of my readers out there. I posted this in the spirit of that holiday. I hope that you enjoy it, even if you are single. And I will throw in one more poem in that spirit. So it will be three poems that you will be reading here. Enjoy (again)!!

Unrequited Crush

Heart stopping and heart pounding affection.
Every time you turned my way, I had to stop
From fainting. As we got older, the connection
We once had faded because you would chop
My heart into pieces and pretended like you
Never knew who I was to you. You smiled at
Every pretty girl, but I never had the luxury to
Be on the receiving end of it. I was a doormat
And an outsider, but I am over it now because
A guy like you does not deserve my infatuation
Or to be my unrequited crush. It made me pause
Wondering why you would be my temptation
Because you are nothing more than a daydream
In a fantasy. Someone else gives me that gleam.

Feeling It Right In the Soul

Everything about you looks good on paper, but it is about
What the heart and mind wants. Everything that is you
Cannot change, but I want to scream and shout
That you deserve better because you want someone to
Give you that love that you give so freely in return.
I am not the one to give it to you, but someday you will
Find someone who will give you a spark and flame
You can never put out. They will dive in right until
You take your last breath. Then you will know the claim
That they have on you. That is something you want,
Not only on the surface, but also deep down to your
Very soul. Darling, do not let that mistake haunt
You of wanting and loving the wrong girl. The door
You wanted to open will open and you will walk right
Into something you could have never visualized
Before. You will smile, laugh, argue and fight
With them forever. You will be surprised.

Valentine’s Day – Not Just For the Lovers

Valentine’s Day is for the lovers with flowers
And chocolate, but what about the lonely ones?
It is like God has stripped them of their powers
To get that love in return. He or she outruns
That possibility because they only want what
Others have, a chance of happiness. When they
Think no one would love them like that, their gut
Bottoms out because as much as they hope and pray
For a strong love. Someone out there is going to stay.

Being an Introvert/Enjoying Solitude

I know that there are tons of people out there who will relate to this subject and topic, for I am one of those people too. I am talking about something that is on everyone’s mind and that is being an introvert. I want to start by saying that there is nothing wrong with being an introvert and in fact, people who are introverts are some of the smartest people we know. Famous people like Albert Einstein, Rosa Parks and Eleanor Roosevelt (another one of my heroes) have been known to be introverts. Yes, they may come across as shy, quiet, and someone who keeps to themselves, but nothing is wrong with that either. When you look up the definition there are many definitions, but one that sticks out is “a person characterized by concern primarily with his or her own thoughts and feelings.” That, in my mind, clarifies who an introvert is to the t.

I think people are introverts for a variety of reasons. Maybe the primary reason is that they like silence in a world and society that is noisy. They enjoy the quietness, solitude and calmness of every moment. Although introverts tend to be quiet, they are observant of what goes on around them. They would observe rather than participating. Introverts are the ones who stay quiet, but that does not mean their thoughts are quiet too. Sometimes it is the quiet people we have to pay attention to. Stephen Hawking says it the best. “Quiet people have the loudest minds.” That is definitely something that is true and applies to introverts.

A part of being an introvert like I said before is enjoying solitude. To introverts it is important and vital like breathing. In other words, introverts need solitude to survive. Susan Cain says it pretty much the same way. “Solitude matters, and for some people, it’s the air they breathe.” People do not always believe me when I tell them I am an introvert because they think with the way I talk to people and socialize they think I am an extrovert. I am only that way around people I know and with people I am completely comfortable with. My therapist once explained that it all has to do with where you get your energy from and how you recharge. You either get it from being around other people or being by yourself and in solitude. I think I am right on the fence of being an extrovert and an introvert. I enjoy being around people, but more and more these days I enjoy the time I take to myself. I am not always the one who loves going out every Friday and weekend day. I wish people would believe me more on that, but each to their own I guess.

I wrote this piece for introverts and non-introverts alike because although a lot of us are introverts, there are also a lot of people who are not. I wrote this kind of as a rule book of what makes someone an introvert and how to deal with these kinds of people. This is a quote to kind of explain how to deal with someone like that. “Yes, I am an introvert. No, I’m not shy. No, I’m not stuck up. No, I’m not antisocial. I’m just listening. I’m just observing. I can’t stand small talk… But I’ll talk about life for hours. I’d rather be at home with a close friend or two than among a crowd of acquaintances. Don’t scold me in public. Don’t embarrass me in public. Respect that I am reserved. And if I open myself up to you, know that means you’re very special to me.” In other words, introverts should be respected just like everyone else. It does not matter what kind of introvert they are because they can have multiple layers. Respect and enjoy that!! Some of the best people are introverts, but that is just my personal opinion being one myself. This poem just touches some of the points of being an introvert. Happy reading and enjoy!!

Quiet Thoughts

In a noisy room, I want every moment that is
Quiet and peaceful. Darling, there is no need
For me or anyone else to be the one who says

Something just to fill the silence. You will lead
And I will follow right behind you. Take me to
Where the horizon meets the ocean. The seed

That nobody thought would grow. Give it a few
Drops of water. Watch it grow into something
Nobody thought would happen. A cut through

The serenity and something magical. A spring
By the waterside and a pretty flower that will
Unfold when you give it a place to grow. A wing

That uncurls and flies away. The quiet thrill
Just as the sun rises every morning and we
Are thinking every thought that keeps us still.

Moments of Clarity

Do you ever get those moments or ideas that just hit or strike you out of nowhere? I like to call those moments of clarity. I feel like a lot of people get at least one those moments in their lifetime. You get to those moments in your life that help you see where you are going. I think of them like when lightning strikes. In other words, it is like when a moment is bright and sudden. That brings me into this quote by Cathryn Louis who says “Sometimes a moment of clarity shines so bright, you have no choice but to walk into the light – or hide under the rug.” So in other words, you have two choices when it comes to clarity… you can step right into the light or hide away. I feel like you do not want to hide from these moments of clarity because sometimes they will go away and sometimes you will be left with nothing.

I think those moments, like I said before, can hit you at any given moment, but sometimes they hit you when you are hitting rock bottom or at a low point in your life. Whether it is dealing with some kind of situation or a person who helped you get those moments of clarity. Sometimes you do not realize they helped you with your moments of clarity until later on and that is perfectly alright. I guess what I am saying is that these situations and people help you see where your life is going, as well as helping you determine where you do not want your life to go. This time is valuable as Linda Poindexter says. “There is no time more valuable than a moment of clarity.” Like I said before, sometimes you do not always see it until later, but it is still there.

I think of those moments of clarity like inspiration because like inspiration they make your life better, clearer and simpler. It is like the fog and haze has been lifted. Sometimes those moments of clarity do not come around often like Paul Reiser states in this next quote. “Once in a while you get a moment of clarity — an inspiration — and they don’t come that frequently.” So in other words, those moments of clarity are special and rare. Like I said before inspiration and clarity are equivalent to each other. They are one and the same. So I encourage my readers to fully grab those moments of clarity or when inspiration strikes and hold onto them. You may never know when they come again. They will help propel your life and will help you find where you are going. Sometimes it is better late than never. In a sense, they help shape you and your life. Just a little reminder to my readers that you should do whatever you can to get those moments of clarity, even if that means stepping back for a little bit. There is nothing wrong with that. Cheers and happy reading. I have included two poems within this post, so I hope that you all enjoy!! I thank every one of those moments that gave me clarity, whether it was a certain situation or person I dealt with.

Moment of Clarity

Everything felt so dark and blurry, like you could not
Find the light or clarity until it was too late. Like that
Sudden flash of lightning, suddenly you have and got
This idea of where your life is supposed to be. Flat
Surfaces become full of depth and perception. A pool
Of thoughts that gather and collect. When your logic told
You that you were drowning is finally when your cool
And warm both temperatures kept you afloat. Hold
That moment near you when you are were so close
To giving up for good. You were so afraid to the pit
Of your stomach. Do not forget it was you who rose
From the ground up, but you did not truly realize it
Until you made that decision to walk away from
Those people and the things that no longer served
You right. They did not contribute to your outcome
Of life. It was not until you were riding curved
Roads and reaching unknown destinations when
You recognized that you were getting tired of
Everything that was the same as before. Again
And again it was the same story, but the love
That you had for yourself outweighed everything.
That is when your moment of clarity hit like a swift
Illumination of light. Darling, you are carrying
Yourself home and always floating adrift.

 

You Became My Moment of Clarity

There were nights when I spent the time crying myself
To sleep. Hugs, kisses, touches and words that turned
Into lies. I wanted to believe that there was something
More than those stolen moments, but that high shelf
You kept me on was breaking. My stomach churned
Because it read something was wrong. A long string
Of lights that turned on because the moment of clarity
Hit us both like a bolt of lightning. I got this feeling like
I knew exactly who you were, lost and scared like I was.
I could not spend any more time wondering the severity
Of the situation we got caught up in. Your final strike
Got you out of the game and I was done chasing the buzz.

Disrespect of Women

There are so many topics we all get sick and tired of hearing about. One of those is the disrespect of women, especially with the whole thing around Donald Trump and Harvey Weinstein. It is the 21st Century, but it makes me feel like we are back in the ’50s or something because we are still treating women with disrespect almost every single day. It makes me sick and tired because women deserve better. We have to do a better job as a country and as a nation to take better care of our women. After all, we come from women, so what gives us a right to disrespect women? Tupac pretty much says it the same way. He says “A woman brought you into this world, so you have no right to disrespect one.” And he pays homage to them in his song “Keep Your Head Up” where he raps about how women should be treated better. Here is a sample from that song. “And since we all came from a woman/Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman/I wonder why we take from our women/Why we rape our women, do we hate our women?/I think it’s time to kill for our women/Time to heal our women, be real to our women/And if we don’t, we’ll have a race of babies/That will hate the ladies, that make the babies/And since a man can’t make one/He has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one!/So will the real men get up/I know you’re fed up ladies,/But keep your head up/(Keep ya head up) Oooh, child things are gonna get easier/(Keep ya head up) Oooh, child things’ll get brighter/(Keep ya head up) Oooh, child things are gonna get easier/(Keep ya head up) Oooh, child things’ll get brighter…” So he is telling women to keep their heads up and telling the guys to respect women.

It really disgusts me how we can elect a president who disrespects women every day with rape, sexual harassment, etc. The list goes on and on. One thing about respecting women is believing them when they step forward and speak up about those things I just mentioned. That support needs to happen right now. That starts with women respecting other women. I know society has taught us to tear each other apart and to speak bad about each other. That all needs to stop. In other words, we need to have a strong community of women. Sophia Nelson says it like this. “Be a woman other women can trust. Have the courage to tell another woman direct when she has offended, hurt or disappointed you. Successful women have a loyal tribe of loyal and hones women behind them. No haters. Not backstabbers or women who whisper behind their back. Be a woman who lifts other women.” If we start there we can just do about anything. To continue more about this I want to throw in one similar like the one above, which I got from Amber Riley’s story on Instagram (she was in the TV show “Glee”). She wrote “Part of my 2018 focus will be creating deeper roots with my girls we really do need another creating a safe environment where we all feel we can share triumphs and failures.” In other words we need to make it safe for every woman.

I wrote this post purposefully almost exactly a year after the Women’s March. We went and participated in one in Oakland. It was such a wonderful experience. We went to another one this year (it was yesterday in fact). It was a wonderful turnout at this one and at other marches across the country, even across the world. I think the way to stop all of this disrespect is to continue to speak up, protest and do whatever it takes to be heard because like I said, it is something I get tired of hearing about. In fact, we should not even be talking about it today, but we are! We are going to continue to talk about it always. To quote my hero Maya Angelou “Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.” So in other words, once one woman or in this case, one group of women, can stand up for all women. It takes a lot of work, but I know we can do it. So here is to the end of the disrespect of women although there are many other groups that are disrespected like immigrants, Blacks, Latinos, etc. and we should not forget that. Enjoy and march on!! I am with you all!

The Disrespect of Women

Women of every race, religion, shapes and sizes
Getting mistreated everyday, not making the same
Amount of money that men are. We are no prizes
To anyone but ourselves. When we have no game
Or hustle, but we bust our asses off just to get food
On the table and make a name for ourselves. Catcalls
From the street when we just simply walk by. Nude
Bodies admired when we are a size zero, but falls
Short when we have any extra body fat. Being called
Bitches and whores when we show off too much skin.
Being threatened, beaten, blackmailed or being hauled
Away when all we said was no thank you. When we grin
We are too easy. When we are frowning we are told to
Loosen up and smile. When we are supposed to please
Men and never ask any questions of why? The queue
Of men allowed to abuse and rape us repeatedly. Sleaze
Balls staring at us and asking us for our numbers when
We said we are not interested or already have a man
At home. They think they can write all over us with pen
Like we are their property and thinking they think they can
Hit us all they want to because we are small fragile creatures.
They lecture us when we have sinned and are too much of
A temptation for men. They think they become preachers,
Luring us into traps. We are told we are not worthy of love
Or respect when we want to be alone and without anyone
Else. Those lies we are being fed will always be outrun.

Happiness

We all want many things in life, but I think one thing we all want is to be happy or to find our happiness. I know that we try to find it within other people or things, but I think the main way to find happiness is to find it within ourselves. I know that there are bad people in this world, but we all deserve happiness. It is like you wish people the best no matter what, even if they hurt you. Yeah, it is true that you surround yourself with people who make you happy, make you smile and laugh. Those are the good people and they mean the world to you, but you learn to find your happiness the hard way. That means you have to let go of people and things that do not make you happy. I am not saying that everything is sunshine and rainbows all of the time, but there is no room for bad things either. Being happy is very personal as this following quote says. “Being happy is a very personal thing and it really has nothing to do with anyone else.” YOU, not anyone else finds YOUR happiness.

I think all you have to in life is be happy. That is the best medicine and best revenge, especially when things in life make you unhappy. I think if you are happy, especially with yourself, I feel like everything else will fall into place. That is what this next quote by Chuck Palahniuk says about happiness and revenge. “That’s the best revenge of all: happiness. Nothing drives people crazier than seeing someone having a good fucking life.” Like I said, being happy is the best thing to do. Yeah, some people can tell when you are unhappy, but maybe they do not always know when you are happy. Just keep it that way. Sometimes you just want to keep some of that happiness to yourself and that is perfectly okay. You do what makes you happy and do not forget that.

Happiness is one thing I try to strive for every day. I made that promise to myself, especially with the new year upon us and I hope that all of my readers will do the same. That is the best advice I can give my readers. Enjoy and happy 2018!!!! Since this is my first post of the new year I will throw in another poem. Happiness is the best new year’s resolution you can put on your list, but it is always something to work on. I just want to conclude this post with one final quote. “Choose your happiness over everything.” In other words, being happy is vital to living, so if you choose anything choose your happiness, especially over things that do not make you happy. So enjoy and once again happy new year!!

Find Your Happiness

Sunshine streams across your face,
And through windows, erasing
Shadows that you used to trace
With your fingertips. The racing
Sound of your heartbeat evens out
While you feel calmness wash over
Like steady streams used to sprout
And help you grow every clover
In your garden. Your mind begins
Expanding into beautifully said
Words and thoughts. Your sins
And bad decisions have bled
Out. They have been washed
Away with yesterday’s pain.
Negativity has been squashed.
You learn to dance in the rain
And smile like you have never
Been sad. You let everything
Bad down the drain and the lever
Has been pulled. You fling
Yourself into all things that
Make you happy and less flat.

Resolution – Your Happiness First

Why can’t you be happy? Maybe you are trying
Too hard for perfection that cannot always be
Reached. A look in the mirror and you are crying
For the girl inside of you because what you see
Right before your eyes is not the same person
You are truly becoming. Maybe you should stop
Believing your insecurities before they worsen
And shape into something you cannot drop
Off at the baggage claim anymore. Maybe what
You grow is more important than the weeds
And things that did not grow. Let the voice shut
Down the doubt. Embrace your prayer beads
Within your palm and hanging around your neck.
Save yourself and pick yourself up from the wreck.

Meeting People

We all cross paths with people on a daily basis. Whether it is simply strangers passing by on the street or friends or people we know or meeting someone when you go out on a date, etc. there are very few days when we do not meet new or old people. There is no accident to meeting these people either. It reminds me of this quote that I got on one of my birthday cards this year, which is one of my favorite quotes. “We don’t meet people by accident. They are meant to cross our path for a reason.” What I am saying is that these people we meet or come across, whether it is simply for a minute or an hour or a day or weeks or months or years, they come into our life for some reason. In other words, they teach us something whether it is about ourselves or about them or about the world all around us. That brings me to this quote. “You will meet many types of people in your life. You will meet delicate flowers, raging oceans, quiet forests, towering mountains, and colourful skies. You will meet thunderstorms, you will meet lightning. They will knock you down, they will leave you breathless. You will meet sunrises, you will meet gardens. They will give you light, they will take you on adventures. Explore them. Get lost with them They all have something different to teach you.” That quote describes what I am talking about so perfectly.

Like I said, there are so many types of people that walk this Earth everyday and we are blessed enough to meet these people as well as sometimes getting to know these people. It is true that we may find and meet people who are very similar to us, but we also meet people who are different. Those people all teach us something. There are people we never see again. There are people who we meet but then lose touch with. There are some people who come into our lives but then leave again. Some of those people we do not want to think about ever again. C.S. Lewis puts it in a better way than I can. He says “In your life, you meet people. Some you never think about again. Some, you wonder what happened to them. There are some that you wonder if they ever think about you. And then there are some you wish you never had to think about again. But you do.” He brings up a lot of the points I already made. We think about people, that is a given and we have a tendency to think about people we never want to think about to begin with. No matter if you do not want to think about them or not, that still teaches you something.

What I am saying is that even if you cross paths with someone who only stayed in your life temporarily versus permanently they still taught you something. No matter if they end up hurting you or if one or both of you ends up getting hurt they still taught you something. Even if there is anger there, that still teaches you something. Like I have said before, there is no accident in meeting people. This quote says it the best way. “You don’t meet people by accident. There’s always a reason. A lesson or a blessing.” There is simply no other way to say it other than that. We can go on and on about this subject matter, but I will leave it at that. I just want to let my readers know that they should be thankful and grateful for whoever they cross paths with. This is the post that I want to conclude 2017 with because that is a big part of what my life was about this year and for the previous years. I want to conclude by wishing everyone a happy and slightly early 2018 since I will not be writing my first post of 2018 for a little bit. Enjoy this last poem of 2017!

Crossing Paths With Different People

There is never the right time to meet people. They come
Into your life like a hurricane or a gentle breeze or the sun
Behind the clouds. There is always something about them
That will either make your heart race or will make you run
The other way. They will calm your spirit or will make you
Want to be wild, reckless and live on the edge. Some of
Them you never think about again and others you want to
Know because they are intriguing. They teach you to love
And respect this Earth we walk on. They may even teach
You something about yourself you did not know otherwise.
Darling, they will be some people who will help you reach
For the stars and your dreams. You will look them in the eyes
And for some reason you will feel like you are finally at home.
It is there you can finally rest and you can become yourself.
Darling, they make you want to stop trying to find and roam
This world to find ourselves in those people. The high shelf,
They will help you touch and feel it. Those are the good
People who will make your soul feel whole and satisfied.
There are times when you feel misguided and misunderstood,
So keep away from people who will keep you on the curbside
Like yesterday’s trash. You do not belong there. You possess
A heart of gold. Some people will help you realize and fulfill
That. Sometimes you will be looked at like you are a mess.
Never let that bother you because it is okay to be like a spill
Across the canvas. Chaotic, sloppy and muddled is what we
Are always going to be. Some people might join us in our
Unorganized and crazy life. Some people just might see
That we are anything but normal. We learn in every hour
And moment. We learn to knock down every tower.