To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
-Emerson

This quote is one of the best I've read. There are many people in my life that have made me breathe easier because they have lived. For those kindred spirits and souls that have crossed my path, thank you for yourself when needed. And to one particular one who will never read this, I wish you to know the beauty I have found in you is because how you appreciate others.

Slate poem, I thought was kick a$$

By J. Allyn Rosser

The favored sight is that which disappears.Wise angels only hum, and hide their wings.Some toxins will not drain except by tears.The monkey throws his feces as he swings.In heroes, it's the flaw that most endears.We watch the puppet show to spot the strings.Success occurs when you forget to fail.Some people seem more naked when they're dressed.(The garter and bouquet but not the veil.)He dreams about the smiles she suppressed.The prisoner doesn't care who makes his bail.Some stones bleed if resolutely pressed.The bay leaf is never served with the stew.I'd never have said this if not to you.

My head is swimming...

Did you ever just feel that your life won't begin unless you shake it up a bit? I'm stuck between I don't know where I'm going and I know right where I am. There so much I want to do and see and accomplish and it feels as though the only way for me to do these things is to detinate this time bomb that has been ticking in my mind and beneath my chest. I just want to scream and dance and run and fall into a giant pile of fall leaves. I want to cry and laugh and feel as though my eyes are opening for the first time. I've been lost for a long time...but I'm fighting my way back slowly and surely, and no one....I repeat no one is going to tell me that I can't be me anymore.

Thoughts of a pseudo-intellectual...

I have decided a couple of things that may be worth mentioning:
1) No matter how hard you try, sometimes things are worth giving up on.
2) Loving and being in love are two totally different animals.
3) There's nothing that can't be fixed with a good laugh.
4) A glass of wine, a good friend, and a great conversation is the best drug.
5) No matter how confident you truly are, it always feels good when someone notices that you are.