Hello Stranger
You don’t know my name
And I don’t know yours
But we don’t need to
Because this isn’t about just me, or just you
This is about something we all share
We are merely human
We are equally determined to come into this world and leave it by the same means
We are all humbled by the power time has and will always have over us
We are not invincible
And we are not perfect
Neither is life
And you are not the first person to feel like something is the end of the world
And wake up the next day to an earth still spinning
Sometimes, bad things happen
Emphasis on the sometimes
Oh how lovely it would be
If we could thank the bad
For making us see the good so much brighter
But that’s easier said than done isn’t it.
Sometimes, there’s this feeling that resembles a grey veil between your eyes and the world
Making it harder to see the colors that life has to offer
Our taste buds seem to be losing their magic
And that tunnel seems to have no light at the end of it at all.
There’s this weight
Making your heart feel so heavy
That if you fell in the shallowest body of water
You would still sink
But the thing is
You may not have a say in what’s going to hurt you
But you can choose what to do with that pain
And a friendly reminder is that you’re not alone
You are not the first person to go through pain
And a promise is you will not be the last
But don’t let the pain make you fall
And keep you down
It may always be there
But it doesn’t have to be the elephant in the room
Don’t let it be the biggest part of you
Don’t let it wrap itself around you and fool you into believing that it’s all you have,
that’s it’s all you’re worth
Because you are so much more than the tears you shed,
the words you yell that you don’t mean
and your heart that shatters.
Look around you
Your story doesn’t have to be over
I know people in refugee camps who tell their children it’s going to be okay,
who believe they will have a home again one day
I know people who have lost so much and are laughing again
I know hope that builds from the broken bricks of homes
I know trees that grow amidst the ashes of fires and bombs
I know artists who through untold stories and photographs revive cities that have succumbed to the horrors of battlefields
I know children robbed of their childhood who get a second chance
I know people with broken bodies who rise higher than anyone
And I know writers who write the most beautiful of stories
Stories they thought would end pages and chapters ago
I know that where there is pain and loss, there is love and strength
And where there are remaining breaths to take, there is hope.
So when you think it’s the end,
Think again
Remember those who haven’t given up just yet
You just might notice the hand reaching out to you
And feel the warmth of the candle
That wants to light your way
And take you through the darkness
Because you don’t ever have to go through it alone
And I promise
You’ll see those sparkles of light again
Those particles of color you thought were gone forever
and the seeds of hope,
that will forever grow
grow so everyone can see,
Like a big beautiful flowering tree.
P.S.
As humans, we may have the ability to harm, to hate and to envy
But we also have the innate power to love and to care and to give
To give more than we have
To care more than we are cared for
And to love regardless of being loved back
So let the love triumph
And the good thrive
Because they matter
And they touch people
And they change lives
Making them, while they last, a little better
Making smiles, a little more frequent
And laughs, a little louder
And life, as short as it is, a little more meaningful.
So be kind
Not because you want to be remembered as kind
But because kindness transcends boundaries and differences
It transcends race and religion
It transcends power and wealth
It gets someone through the day
or through the year
It’s the easiest thing to do
You can be kind to someone
without even knowing their name.
