Less us, more we.
Less why, more be.

Less posting, more protesting.
Less complaining, more changing.

Less conquest, more progress.
Less complicitness, more kindness.

Less pontificating, more creating.
Less waiting, more cultivating.

Less worry, more wonderment.
Less hurry, more movement.

Less cursing, more caring.
Less doubting, more doing.

Less regret, more reflect.
Less elect, more effect.

Less reaction, more action.
Less apathy, more activism.

Less us, more we.
Less blinders, more see.

Shut up, voices in my head,
That tell me to dread,
The future that's unsaid.
 
Run away, I need a break,
Withdraw from the bank,
Selfishly deserved escape.
 
Sit down, take stock of your life,
Your time here is rife,
With joy, friends and spice.
 
Shut down, the trolls who hate,
Bitter for bitter’s sake,
Only muck do they make.
 
Move on, surrounded with love,
In your niche all snug,
Fill it with lots of hugs.
 
Stand up, take charge, thrive.
You live or you die,
On your impulse to strive.
 
Go home, mind unfurled.
Wisdom in a pearl.
The oyster’s your world.
 
Shut up, the demons who demand,
You can't do it over and over again.

Sure there always an end,
But first you must begin.
 ​

Your ideal life doesn't come tied in a neat bow.
There's no FAQs to tell you how. 
It's not on Amazon Prime. 
You won't find a sassy Etsy design. 
There is no steaming it on-demand. 
No overnight shipping at hand. 
It doesn't magically come in a dream. 
It’s not dependent on likes or memes. 
There is no app for that. 
You can't get help from web support chat.
You won't stumble across it on a Pokemon hunt. 
Real life takes effort, sorry to be blunt.

Your ideal life is up to you. 
It's completely determined by what you do. 
Each day is a choice that you can make. 
So get off your ass and make it, for chrissake.

Good vibes only, the time is now.
Digress from stress, disconnect, and allow.

No accommodating worry or entertaining regret.
No wasting time obsessively upset.

Stop the self-doubt, and no more complaints.
Enough with all the self-righteous debates.

No more consequences, only life lessons.
This is how you learn what the best is.

No listening to people who always say “no.”
Give up the grudges, it's time to let go.

No more no’s.
Period. You know.

Yes to joy, and smiles, and laughter.
Yes to bear hugs and happily ever after.

Yes to presence, mindfulness, and peace.
Yes to love, it's all you actually need.

Say yes even when you're down.
You'll be surprised how quickly it turns you around.

Yes to giving more than you take.
Yes to some selfishness, for your sanity’s sake.

Good vibes only, not because it's forced.
Good vibes only, and then pass the torch. ​

Like a dog that won't drop a toy
Worrying it back and forth
I can’t seem to drop this thought

Holding on is stressful
Clenching creates angst
Angst leads to turbulence
Worrying the mind into suspension

Letting go is a relief
Liberation creates space
Space leads to serenity
Unfencing the mind to run free

Leave it
Drop it
Don't worry it

Just let it go

The hardest goodbye isn't enforced.
It isn't expected or coerced.

Its not like the end of high school,
Where the path's been chosen for you.

It's nothing like leaving your family home,
When you're longing to be on your own.

No, the hardest goodbye comes by choice.
When you need to go find your voice.

When you're leaving something you enjoy.
When you know goodbye will disappoint.

You leave because staying is dishonest.
You leave even though it's totally the harshest.

The hardest goodbye is what you have to do
When standing still keeps you too...

Too complacent.
Too cautioned.
Too despondent.
Path's insolvent.

Never reaching.
Rarely seeking.
Always waiting.
Sitting, hoping...

Hoping it'll all just come to you.
Now it's time to see a different view.

With the pain of goodbye comes redemption.
Starting anew, a mini rebellion.

Leaving is an act of bravery,
Because it's not safe to be,
Never alone with only me.

Even though it feels like hell,
When I say goodbye I'll find myself.

By return I know I'll have harnessed,
All the reasons that home is the fondest.

The hardest goodbye is a choice I've made.
But let's stay strong, 'cause the hello's gonna be great.

Here's something I wrote for 8th grade honors English. I got a B. That teacher clearly had it out for me. 

~A Poem for Walden~

When in the forest one realizes
The world is different.
Water covers the great part of the land
And that land goes far beyond where we live.

Humans go through life hurriedly,
Not looking at their surroundings, not looking up.
But there are forests and lakes
And streams and fields.

We resemble ants in many ways.
Like most humans, ants fight each other.
They kill and battle their own.
Ants and humans have too much in common.

Through the seasons of the year
We should notice all the changes.
Life is too short to just hurry by.
We must notice our surroundings more.

Every winter life is frozen,
Animals hibernate, so do the waters.
Trees seem to die and ice covers the ground.
Life appears dead to those who are looking.

Spring changes the life that fell across the land.
It is a time of hope and a new beginning.
Fog and rain melts the ice. Flowers, animals, and leaves return.
Life renews to those who are looking.

Life in the woods goes on this way,
It all stays the same day by day, season by season.
We must change our lives so we will see.

We must leave the beaten path,
To see the new beginning.

There's a big bright beautiful world out there.
Why would you want to stand still?

There's billions of souls to connect to.
Why wouldn't you introduce yourself to the unfamiliar?

There's an endless number of cultures to sample.
Why would you always do the same basic thing?

There's mountains of photos to expose you to new sights.
Why wouldn't you try to see them with your own eyes?

There's an infinite amount of unshared ideas.
Why would you ever think you know it all?

There's hundreds of colors in the simplest of objects.
Why wouldn't you dare to imagine an entirely new spectrum?

Keep searching. Keep meeting. Keep seeing. Keep learning. Keep expanding.

Keep exploring.

The time for mindfulness is now.

Not tomorrow.
Or next Monday, next month, next Memorial day.

Now.

Not in a New Years resolution.
Or after you birthday, a baby, a big vacation.

Now.

Not in an hour.
Or after one more Facebook scroll, another soapbox rant, a clickbait binge.

Now.

Not when you finish that big project.
Or when you find that new job, get out of debt, meet your dream man.

Now.

You can always find an excuse.
There's always a way to delay another day.

Stop waiting.

The time for mindfulness is now.

Mindfulness isn't navel gazing...
It's observing ourselves and the phenomenal world around us to in order to wake up.

Mindfulness isn't a retreat inside your head...
It’s a communion with every single thing that's around you, right now.

Mindfulness isn't selfishly worrying about yourself while the world burns...
It's selflessly learning how to be your best self so you can help put out the fire.

Mindfulness isn't about looking for isn'ts...
It's about rediscovering just how much there is.

Remember the past,
Both good times and bad. 
Let those moments teach you.

Remember those who've passed,
Both good people and bad. 
Let those souls guide you. 

Honor the past,
Remember it fondly,
Do not disgrace it with sorrow. 

Learn from the past, 
Let it light the way forward,
Do not dim it with regret. 

All those moments have sadly passed. 
But remember,
Your moment is just beginning.

Under every pile of dirt. 
Silver linings exist. 
Only quiet minds see. 

Yesterday is a has been and tomorrow is a could be. 
Ignore them both and wallow in the right now.