1. There’s a reason schools teach Shakespeare instead of John Green; you make your own life, it’s not written in the stars, waiting to start until you find that person with the perfect smile
2. People are a hell of a lot smart than you think. Shut your mouth, stop thinking you know everything, and listen.

3. Getting close and being vulnerable is scary as hell, But you know what else it is? Worth it.

4. Reason really is the doctor to love.

5. The moment you feel your happiness being dictated by another person, take a break from them.

6. Take a step back and look around, you have more friends than you think.

7. Growing up is going to happen and it’s going to be tough. Just stay close to those around you, you’re all in it together.

8. If you’re still checking their Facebook/Instagram/tumblr, you’re never going to get over them.

9. Everything seems worse in the morning. Don’t fall for it, it’s deceiving.

10. No need to be so intense all the time. People get tired of swimming in the deep end, sometimes they need a break in the shallow part of the pool.

11. Stop avoiding everything. Get out of bed, get dressed, go to school, go to work. It sucks at first but it’s part of the healing process.

12. If the person makes you feel like shit and you still go back to them, it’s an abusive relationship.

13. Headphones are great, but listen to music aloud every once in a while. Sometimes you need to scream a song so everyone can hear you.

14. Boundaries are a must.

15. You can be a caring person, but you need to be happy with yourself before you try to make others happy.

16. Try and understand other’s intentions and situation before you get angry with them.

17. Tough love is necessary sometimes.

18. You can’t fix people no matter how hard you try. Get this engrained in your mind.

19. Surround yourself with people who will love and support you.

20. Loneliness is lethal and makes you have a distorted view of things.

21. No one hates you more than you hate yourself. Stop being your own enemy.

22. Someone can only hurt your feelings if you allow them to.

23. Getting your shit back in order is five times as hard as it is to mess it all up.

24. Listen to your parent’s advice.

25. Be open to anything and everything. Life isn’t fun when you’re a closed book.

26. Talking about your problems is great, but there comes a point when talking about it becomes dwelling on the past and it drains everyone around you. Know when you’ve hit this point.

27. A lot of people don’t like their shit showing. More people than you know are going through hard times.

28. Distract yourself.

29. Don’t be so easily swayed, a lot of claims out there are not true.

30. Some seasons of your life are harder than others. This too shall pass. 


30 Things I Learned During the 30 Worst Days of my Life: November 2013

Autobiography in Five Short Chapters

Chapter 1




I walk down the street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I fall in.

I am lost ... I am helpless.

It isn't my fault.

It takes forever to find a way out.



Chapter 2



I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I pretend I don't see it.

I fall in again.

I can't believe I am in the same place.

But it isn't my fault.

It still takes a long time to get out.



Chapter 3



I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I see it is there.

I still fall in ... it's a habit.

My eyes are open.

I know where I am.

It is my fault.

I get out immediately.



Chapter 4



I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I walk around it.



Chapter 5



I walk down another street.







(There's a Hole in My Sidewalk) ~ Portia Nelson ~



















There are some holes that I fall into out of habits that are very hard to change, over the years negotiating the holes on the street has become easier, and for the most part I take a different street. Still, there are those difficult “what the effery?” times that I fall and stumble into a hole.

May each day of 2013 bring happiness, love, a healthy lifestyle, good cheer, belly aching laughter, prosperity, a thankFull heart and sweet surprises ….

Lately I've been struggling, Spiritually and Emotionally. I have been thinking of what path I should take or the path that I am currently on – where is it leading me?




Hopefully I will soon find a balance.

I prayed for change, so I changed my mind.

I prayed for guidance and learned to trust myself.

I prayed for happiness and realized I am not my ego.

I prayed for peace and learned to accept others unconditionally.

I prayed for abundance and realized my doubt kept it out.

I prayed for wealth and realized it is my health.

I prayed for a miracle and realized I am the miracle.

I prayed for a soul mate and realized I am The One.

I prayed for love and realized it's always knocking, but I have to let it in."

~Jackson Kiddard

A girl who lives, laughs and loves.

Nothing holding her down, she listens to her heart and stretches far to reach her dreams.

Placing all hopes and trust into something higher, she sees the light of inspiration and takes the leap of faith.

She is focused, determined, grounded and moving forward, never stopping to looking back.

She holds on to no frustration but thrives on every experience as growth.

She is beautiful. She is beautiful. She is beautiful.

She is YOU

Soul Symphony #2: Lady Lighthouse

// ♥ \\
She has faced trials, disappointments and triumphs.
She has weathered many storms.
Some on behalf of family and community;
some simply because she dared to be born.

But the winds, rain, and fog
and the sweeping undercurrents of a rocky sea
have only helped to grow and ground her
into the woman she was born to be.

The Soul of a Woman is a towering lighthouse,
a bridge that has been gracefully transformed.
She guides others across the rocky seas of life,
teaching them to persevere in times of storm.

\\ ♥ //

~Dr. Nesha Jenkins-Tate

Still learning,

-everything doesn't happen when you want it

-laughing is so therapeutic

-to trust my instincts

-to let go sooner, somethings just aren't meant to hold on to

-that even though we are apart, I still like him

-when opportunity knocks, rush to open the door

-I am better off than a whole lot of people, so I need to stop feeling sorry for myself

-family can take any form (friends and strangers)...and that not such a bad thing

-to breathe deeply, and exhale

-to not be afraid of threats, to live for the moment, to prepare for the end

Women are the beauty of life; her heart colors every rainbow, her soul brightens an angel’s sky. A woman’s beauty is her heart, she has pride and dignity and that is not to be taken away from her, she is to be respected and loved truthfully and she is not to be abused period. She is to be appreciated for the love that shines from her heart and for the beautiful glow of her soul. Never take a woman’s heart for granted for all she dreams for is unconditional love. A woman’s beauty is a love undefined

~Lee Held

The beauty of a woman
isn't in the clothes she wears,
The figure that she carries,
or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman
must be seen from in her eyes;
Because that's the doorway to her heart,
the place where love resides.

The beauty of a woman
isn't in a facial mole;
But true beauty in a woman,
is reflected by her soul.

It's the caring that she cares to give,
the passion that she shows;
And the beauty of a woman
with passing years only grows.

~ Maya Angelou

The most exciting, challenging,
and significant relationship of
all is the one you have with
yourself. And if you find someone
to love the you you love, well,
that's just fabulous...♥

~Carrie Bradshaw - Sex and the City

"She,
needs no fancy clothes
to make her look sexy
needs no man by her side
to make her feel sturdy
need to tell no lies
her honesty is her beauty
She's smart in the head
and courageous in the heart
confident in herself
and compassionsate in her thoughts
independant and able
strong and graceful
She's no ordinary woman...
She is what I call a
REAL WOMAN"

~Author Unknown

"To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don't need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself."

~Thich Nhat Hanh

¯`☜❤☞¨¯¯`☜❤☞¨¯¯

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL ... the end♥

¯`☜❤☞¨¯¯`☜❤☞¨¯¯

"At any given moment you have the power to say: "This is not how the story is going to end."

1. I am still trying to figure out my purpose in life, or what it is I want to be when I grow up.
2. Being a Mother is one of the hardest jobs I have ever had to do.
3. I'm constantly terrified of "screwing" my kids up.
4. I have to remind myself that every one has their demons to battle, my battles are so tiny to what some people go through.
5. I am addicted to Twitter; you can say so much in 140 characters.
6. You know how every Woman has that one deep dark secret; I have two.
7. I suck at giving advise - seriously, seriously slit your wrists suck at giving advise.
8. I wish I was confident enough to speak what's on my mind.
9. I am severely self conscious and I am my biggest critic.
10. Its the little things that makes living worthwhile.
11. I loved him then, I love him still, Always have always will.
12. A lot of people think I'm "stuck up", which is quite the opposite.
13. I'm not as strong as I used to be; I'm not sure where that person went, but I'm on a constant journey to find She.
14. I'm ridiculously shy.
15. I love being alone, but hate to be lonely.
16. I have so many regrets and what ifs about that one relationship that slipped away.
17. I have to get rid of my "greeny eye monster" its draining me emotionally.
18. 35 is rapidly approaching and that scares me.
19. When will it be my turn for love to find me, my kids need a father figure and I desperately need a companion.
20. I would like to think that every time he thinks of me a smile touches his lips.
21. I'm not a dog person or a cat person, or an animal person for that matter.
22. Feels like I'm stuck in a rut.
23. Everyday I am thankFull. I can go through life saying I didn't always have it all; but at no point did I have nothing.
24. I wonder if my name sake song is telling me if I look close enough I'll be able to see what it is I'm meant to see.

SHE and I.....

SHE knows how to love on the inside
while in a fog of emotion I can do nothing but idolize
SHE no longer yearns to please
while I dumbly wear my heart on my sleeve
SHE wears that entrancing smile
While I lock my jawbone to create the illusion that I am HOSTILE
SHE dances in the rain
while I drown in the pain that causes it to rain
SHE dangles her royalty above her success
while I stab at my guilt, double over in pain and finally confess
SHE loves to love
While having a heart I fall short of
SHE watches me bleed with a glass of empty eyes and shame
I hold her heart with MY hand even though we are one of the same
SHE laughs with those who use her appearance as a weapon
while I corner my abuser clench my fist getting ready to teach a lesson
SHE is the girl inside of me that I wish I could completely be

Written by Renita Sykes

"Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always, always bring your own sunshine".
Anthony J. D'Angelo

"I don't know why terrible things happen to us sometimes, but I have to believe something good is going to come out of this."

~Soul Surfer~