Love

The single most valuable lesson I have learned in my time at Vassar College is the importance of unconditional love. To love is the most important, most powerful, most enduring, most difficult, most courageous action that a person can experience in his or her time on earth. A life without love lacks substance. A life with love can last forever, and even persist through death. Think for a moment about the people that you love in your life and make sure you let them know that you love them. The love shared between a close friend, a family member, or a lover is the most absolutely real thing you will experience on this earth. Remind those close to you of their importance to you every day. Hug and don't be afraid to show complete and utter affection towards the loving people who surround and support you each and every day. You never know the day that they will be taken away from you, or you from them. Cherish each and every day with them and show no fear in your affection. Completely embrace the people you love. The key to living a long, healthy, and happy life is to be surrounded with loving, caring, feeling individuals. If you experience love on a daily basis, you are truly blessed. Spread your love to as many people as possible and never stop spreading it.

To anyone who has shown me any degree of love throughout my life, I thank you from the absolute bottom of my heart. I will try my hardest over the rest of my life to show you how much I care about you and how much I love you in return. You have made my life an absolute joy to live and I cannot thank you enough for that. Every day I wake up and smile because I know I am loved. Every day is filled with ecstasy because of the love I have experienced. I can't name you all here because I could go on forever with all the affection that has been shown towards me. You all are the best. You make my life a complete joy to live and I look forward to every day.

I love you all so very, very much.

Dreamcatcher

I am a dreamcatcher
An idea floating in the night
A body upon this earth
The sparkling threads suspend us
Sustain us in this neverending sphere
The threads bend to the rhythm of life
The fraying extends
A delicate expanse of the paths you can take
An understanding of who you are
Who you can be
Who you have been
An artful fork in the road
An epic, if you will
A complete story in myself
An archetype of what it means to be
I weave these dreams to my liking
They mold to my likeness
Creating a work of art I never could have imagined
This moment in time
This space of mine
A fragile fragment that has been caught
In my ever suspended dreamcatcher
This world is my dreamcatcher
You are my reflection in the mirror
Reminding me that I am for a reason
I weave and I float
Through this neverending dreamcatcher
Complexities grasping me
Caught in the threads of reality
I'm caught
But I embrace
I become one with my dreamcatcher
It becomes one with me
I understand it, treat it as my equal
Respect each and every space
Understanding the intricate design
This dreamcatcher has been made this way for a reason
That reason is truth, light, goodness, being
As soon as I touch the fabric, I understand
I feel complete ecstasy
Returning to the sparkle of beauty
That this discovery of reality has shown me
The fabric sparkles bright
Captivates me completely
The sparkle of life, children smiling deep within
A sparkle that illuminates
What it means to be alive
Only the most joyful survive in this world
Because they bring complete and utter happiness
They continue to build the dreamcatcher
An add a unique beauty
That makes the dreamcatcher spin
On and on in my minds eye
Oh dreamcatcher
Be with me tonight
As I lay down to sleep
Watch over me, my Papa, my family, my friends, my dogs, and I
Tonight, just as you did last night
Spin on forever
And continue to show your beauty
To me and the rest of your beautiful universe.

Driving Thoughts

I was driving along today trying to look every other driver in the eyes to get at some part of their being. As I drove along and looked, I discovered that almost every person looked miserable.

When you're doing something as simple as driving, try to get the most out of it. Count your blessings and the fact that you even have a car. Think about where you're going and why it matters to you. If you're in a rush, don't be - just relax and explain to the person (or group) why you were late. Improve on it next time so you don't have to explain yourself in the future. A life spend explaining oneself is a life spent lying, a life nobody desires.

Kick back, relax, and throw on your favorite music. If the radio isn't doing it for you or you don't have your favorite cd, turn off the music for once and enjoy the simple, beautiful silence. Roll down your windows and bask in the sun, or, if its winter, appreciate the harsh cold for what it is - a reminder of what it means to be alive, with cold, brisk air running through your nostrils and into your lungs, powering the incredible, wonderful machine that is you and your body.

Taking the time to appreciate small actions and habits like this make you realize how rich with possibility life is. Pay attention to every detail, every moment, every thought, and you will have felt and loved for an eternity on this beautiful earth.