Sometimes when you're young you think nothing can hurt you. Its like being invincible. Your whole life is ahead of you. Because at the end, when you're looking back instead of forward, you want to believe that you made the most of what life gave you. You want to believe that you're leaving something good behind. You want it all to have mattered. But no matter where you go or who you become, this place will always be with you.
It's the oldest story in the world. One day you're seventeen and planning for someday. And then quietly, without you ever really noticing, someday is yesterday and this is your life.
There are moments in our lives when we find ourselves at a crossroads. Afraid. Confused without a road map. The choices we make in those moments can define the rest of our days. Of course, when faced with the unknown, most of us prefer to turn back. But once in awhile, people push on to something better. Something found just beyond the pain and going it alone. And just beyond the bravery and courage to let someone in... Or give someone a second chance... Something beyond the quiet persistence of a dream. Because, it's only when you're tested that you truly discover who you are. And, it's only when you're tested that you discover who you can be. The person you want to be does exist; somewhere on the other side of hard work and faith and belief. And, beyond the heartache and fear of what lies ahead.
Sometimes I wonder if anything is absolute anymore. Is there still right and wrong, good and bad, truth and lies? Or is everything negotiable, left to interpretation, gray? Sometimes we're forced to bend the truth, transform it, because we're faced with things that are not of our own making. And sometimes, things simply catch up to us...Truth is still absolute, believe that.. even when that truth is hard and cold and more painful than you ever imagined. And even when that truth is more cruel than any lie. You can choose to blame your circumstances on fate or bad luck or bad choices. Or you can fight back. Things aren't always going to be fair in the real world. That's just the way it is. But for the most part, you get what you give. Rest of your life is being shaped right now. With the dreams you chase...The choices you make...and the person you decide to be. The rest of your life is a long time. And the rest of your life starts right now.
Happiness comes in many forms - in the company of good friends, in the feeling you get when you make someone else's dream come true, or in the promise of hope renewed. It's okay to let yourself be happy because you never know how fleeting that happiness might be. Regret comes in all shapes and sizes. Some are small like when we do a bad thing for a good reason. Some are bigger like when you let down a friend. Some of us escape the pain of regret by making the right choice. Some of us have little time for regret because we're looking forward to the future. Sometimes we have to fight to come to terms with the past, and sometimes we bury our regret by promising to change your own ways. But, our biggest regrets are not for the things we did...but, for the things we didn't do. Things we didn't say that could've save someone that we care about. Especially when we can see the dark storm that's headed their way. Does this darkness have a name? This cruelty, this hatred, how did it find us? Did it steal into our lives or did we seek it out and embrace it? What happened to us that we now send our children into the world like we send young men to war, hoping for their safe return, but knowing that some would be lost along the way. When did we lose our way? Consumed by the shadows. Swallowed whole by the darkness. Does this darkness have a name? Is it your name?
Did you ever look at a picture of yourself and see a stranger in the background? It makes you wonder how many people have pictures of you...Did you ever look at a picture of yourself and see a stranger in the background? It makes you wonder how many people have pictures of you, how many moments of other people's lives we've been in. Were we part of someone's life when their dream came true, or were we there when their dreams died? Did we keep trying to get in, as if we were somehow destined to be there? Or did the shot take us by surprise? Just think, you could be a big part of someone else's life, and not even know it...Many people die with their music still in them. Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out. Most of our life is a series of images. They pass us by like towns on the highway. But sometimes a moment stuns us as it happens. And we know that this instant is more than a fleeting image. We know that this moment, every part of it, will live on forever.
