You make me smile
when I’m feeling down,
You chase away my problems,
make it hard for me to frown
Your wise advice,
though they maybe small
These are the ones
that help most of all
A watchful eye,
that’s alert and aware
of how I really feel,
whether good, bad, or fair
Thank you so much
for always being there
You give of your time
to show that you care
You give so much
to help me in life,
of the good things to expect
along with the stress and strife.
How do I define myself?
It’s not through
exquisite jewelry,
expensive cars,
a spacious mansion,
a lavish lifestyle
or money
How do I define myself?
By leading a simple life of
love,
laughter,
hugs,
smiles,
hope,
and joy
How do I define myself?
Through years and years
of knowledge and experience,
filled with trials and tribulations,
both good and bad
shared with family,
friends,
acquaintances,
myself
How do I define my life?
By sharing a smile,
offering a helping hand,
lending an ear,
being with loved ones,
enjoying everything around me,
taking nothing for granted,
simply living for now.
When your dream becomes reality,
a sense of self-accomplishment,
unbridled joy,
boastful pride,
all come together
in one harmonious fashion
When your dream becomes reality,
the endless hard work,
excruciating trials,
never-ending tribulations,
were all the catalyst
in creating your character
When your dream becomes reality,
new found worries arise
trepidation,
dismay,
the fear of never achieving
another goal again
But you’ve been down this road
you never gave up
against all odds,
all naysayers,
you prevailed,
you believed in yourself
and in doing so
that is
When your dream becomes reality.
Being a writer, professional or amateur, whether it be in screenplays, novels, short stories, poems, blogs, articles, is one of the greatest feelings to experience. We proudly claim that title and revel in the pure joy of our creations. We are the dreamers that have no limits and our imaginations are vastly unique.
We, as writers, follow our heart and passionately tell stories of love, inspiration, hope, despair, sadness, joy and humor; it can come from personal experience or it could be purely fictional.
Our urge to let loose our “inner voice” and send them into the world is quite courageous. Our vulnerability is on full display. We subject ourselves to complete and total strangers who will either love it, hate it, criticize it, berate it, praise it, be informed by it or be inspired by it.
We learn from it, accept it and grow to become even better artists of our craft. Regardless of the outcome, we persevere. Writers love what they do; writing nurtures our artistic soul. It fills a need that non-writers can’t understand.
Writers continue on with their journey because it’s never-ending. The path will only end when our mind’s well runs dry. But all my fellow writers know, that’ll never happen.
So to all my fellow colleagues, remember that you are a writer! Don’t ever forget that only “you” can be the one to tell “your” stories. You are the masters of your craft; it’s a lifestyle formed from countless hours of blood, sweat and tears with a heavy dose of passion and heart.
Write, write every day. Follow your heart and always dream big.
In the past, I’ve always embraced change because I felt it made you a better person for learning how to cope and adapt. Our brains are wired to do the same things over and over again, whether it be good or bad, tedious or fun.
It’s never an easy task to handle but it pushes you out of your comfort zone and tests your strength and mettle. I thrived in the face of change because it snapped me out of my rut. It was different, it was new and I got to think outside the box.
Currently I’ve made a life changing decision to resign from my job of 12 years to work for a non-profit organization. I was absolutely excited for the opportunity to do something that was both rewarding and satisfying at the same time.
Now I’m counting down my final days at my current work place, feeling nostalgic in the process. My co-workers are sad but happy that I’ll be moving on to something better.
As I wait for the unknown, I find it quite difficult to accept the change that’s about to occur. Thoughts of doubt creep into my mind. “Am I making a mistake?” is all that is echoing throughout my conscious.
To do something for 12 years and then starting over from scratch is a terrifying thought…especially at my age. This is truly overwhelming for me to handle. I’m not going to lie, I’ve had sleepless nights this past week and will probably get even more in the coming days to follow.
My therapy was to confide in my co-workers about what I’m feeling; free psychological advice from people with various life experiences.
All exude positivity which help to sort of subdue what I’m feeling. It was helping for a moment until I asked a co-worker who I found work for the same organization (for only 6 months)that I’m off to start a new career in.
Her experience was not pleasant, more like toxic. “WHAT?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!” was my first response. Then “OH MY GOD! DID I JUST MAKE A HUGE MISTAKE!” blared like an EMS siren in my head.
She assured me that it was 10 years ago that she had worked there and her experience wasn’t pleasant because of the type of person she is. She insisted that my experience might not be like that, so I needn’t worry.
Too late, the seeds of doubt had been planted and could not be shaken. When I confided in my other co-workers of her experience, they echoed the same sentiment that it might not be like that for me.
So here I am now with conflicting emotions, wondering what I will encounter in the next chapter of my life. The battle between experiencing a great opportunity versus making a huge mistake will continue until I walk through the doors of my new job.
Until then, I just need to try and live in the moment; soak up as much good memories as I can with the friends that I’ve made and take that feeling on into the unknown.
We all have tons of dreams
some big, some average, some small
Achieving them in our lifetime
is the common theme for us all
The map to our success
is following these three views
Learning them by heart
will help us avoid any miscues
Patience, Persistence & Perseverance
also known as “The Three P’s”
Commit them to one’s memory
is a MUST I do decree
Biding our time without complaint
having “Patience” is the key
The journey’s just beginning
in bringing our dreams to reality
“Persistence” will outlast talent
staying the course, when all else fails
We must get up after every fall
towards our dream we will prevail
In spite of all the difficulties
and the strong urge not to quit
“Perseverance” dictates our true passion
we’ll get there…bit by bit
So pursue your dreams to the ends of the earth
learn “The Three P’s” & follow through
You’ll reach your goals and then much more
of this I promise you.
I’m not too sure if I’m alone in thinking this way but every single year, just days after we ring in the New Year, I feel re-energized and inspired. Everything and anything unfortunate that occurred the year before is completely erased. I’ve been given a clean slate where anything is possible.
There’s HOPE! I can see it, I can smell it, I can taste it…it’s finally within my grasp.
A sudden rush of invincibility and unbridled optimism fuels my drive to pursue my dreams; this euphoric feeling of boundless positivity and capability is intoxicating. I’m in open space moving at Mach 6 towards my quest in achieving EVERY dream, whether it be big or small.
There’s nothing that I can’t accomplish…there is no fear…no hesitation in thought or action. My focus is razor sharp and crystal clear. The only thought that echoes in my mind like a broken record is “YES! This is THE year! This is gonna be MY year!”
I know that thought is so cliché, but what can I say, I’m an eternal optimist at heart. Feeling this way makes me want to share my words of affirmation and enthusiasm with anyone and everyone around me. That’s a good thing, right?
This wave of emotions will eventually subside as the year progresses, but I’m going to ride it for as long as I can and know wholeheartedly that I gave it my all and then some.
All my life, I’ve lived so alone
searched and failed each time,
so many hearts drifting alone
not one to call my own
The feeling of love was all but a dream
seen in the eyes of others,
hearts that will share, eyes that show care
as only between two lovers
Since you walked into my life
my faith has grown so strong
my view of love is much clearer now
with you is where I belong
You’re the reason how my life is lived
and this I know is true
There can only be one love for me
cause love was found in you
You taught me things in life
and I have learned to give –
to loneliness I bid sweet adieu
The love that has filled me body and soul
is all because of you
You’re the reason – my heart I give
my love’s now alive and free
For you are my one and only love,
you are the one just for me.
For all my life I’ve tried to be an eternal optimist in a somewhat pessimistic world. (To be more specific, I’ve applied that thought to my life as an aspiring screenwriter.) Lately, however, I’ve been trying to adopt that to my personal life.
You have to believe that otherwise your life would be desolate and miserable. No matter how bad things may get, you should never feel hopeless because better days do lie ahead. There is a light at the end of that long tunnel, it may be big as a spotlight or small as a penlight flashlight, but it is there.
Believe me, there are some days when my convictions and faith are tested to the limits. A bad day at work, an injury, arguments aplenty, caught in terrible weather, rejected for a prospective job, someone close passes away, illness…the list can go on and on and on. Everything bad, whether insignificant or huge, becomes fodder for our mind’s consumption.
We’ve all been there and I know that each and every one of you’ve said the same thing – “WHY’S THIS HAPPENING TO ME?!”
It’s times like these when you start to wonder if there’s some validation to all the pessimism out there in the world. Your outlook starts to look grim and any chance of bliss seems futile. You begin to get envious of those around you whose luck and good fortune seem to line up effortlessly.
Once you get into that mindset, it’s SO difficult to recover; if you can’t, then you become another statistic in a world of pessimistic drones. I’m not going to lie I’ve fallen into that trap numerous times, enough to the point where I have a plaque with my name engraved there. But I’ve learned that no matter what, there really is brighter days ahead.
Anytime you encounter a bad situation and feel like it’s the end of the world…STOP! Soak in what happened and know that you are not the only one experiencing something “catastrophic.” There are millions upon millions of people out there going through a similar or maybe even worse situation. You are not alone! Turn to God and pray if that’s your faith, confide in family members and friends, or spend time with your beloved pet to get some clarity on your life.
For every negative thing that happens, there’s some good that comes from enduring our ordeals. We may be able to see it clearly, it may be subtle or it may reveal itself down the road. Either way, something positive will always appear.
Overcome each hurdle one at a time, jumping over the smallest one first. Clearing one impasse leads the way to clearing the rest of the hurdles ahead of you.
Who knows, we might discover a new found friend, gain confidence from an underlying skill we never knew we had or learn something useful…there are countless of things that could arise. So in essence, there is a bright spot in an otherwise bleak situation; we just have to have a positive outlook.
We should instead think of possibly the worst situation we could be in and compare it to what we’re facing. I’m sure it pales in comparison. We’re alive and we get to see another day; some people are not so lucky. Just relish in the fact that we’ve conquered past obstacles and live to tell the tale. That’s an accomplishment in itself.
So when things don’t go your way, just stop, take a deep breath, soak in all that bad vibes and reflect on your life for a moment. Look around you, look at your family, look at your friends, examine your life for a bit…reminisce on all the good times and laughter shared. Revisit all those joyous memories and know that you’ve become a stronger person because of that. Keep the faith in knowing that there’s always a glimmer of hope in the most dire of situations.
My life had no meaning
it was desolate and blue,
darkness consumed me
until I met you.
The times spent with you
gave me a feeling so great –
it felt like paradise
had just opened its gate.
Your warmth and your kindness
that you eagerly gave,
my belief in your love –
my life you have saved.
Your faith in me was strong
through the good and the bad,
you gave of your love
made me appreciate what I had.
Your lovely voice,
your warm tender smile
the presence of your beauty
makes love all the worth while.
This feeling for you
is so hard to convey,
to pick one true meaning
would be unjustly to say.
My spirit soars
when your presence is near,
“YOU”…the love of my life
gives me reason to cheer.
To have you as a partner in life
is a great honor for me,
and eternity in heaven
is what our lives will always be.
Midlife, Maniacal & Me 