my high school choir director, who may have been one of the first

people outside of my family to truly believe in me;

my undergraduate voice teacher, who looked after me like i was

her own daughter and taught me to sing for joy.

those are just a few,

because every teacher i’ve had

has made some kind of impact on me.

and while so much of what i do is for myself

and the life i want to live, the person i want to be,

every victory, every milestone, every birthday

is also for them.

for the heart they so permanently changed.

for the memories i am forever grateful to have.

these are the kinds of people you should surround yourself with:

those who make you smile

those who make you laugh

those who know when you’re shutting down

those who understand when you need space

those who don’t make you feel small

those who celebrate your victories, however tiny

those who don’t project their insecurities onto you

those who treat you as an equal

those who believe in you

those who will hold you as you cry

those who will call you on your bullshit

those who want you to call them on theirs

those who grow alongside you

those who are kind to strangers

those who hope for better things

those who are gentle

those who are loving

those who are good

those who are good

those who are good

don’t you know?

we all have so much

beautiful growing

left to do.

i wish i could pull

the sadness out of you

unravel it like a string

from where it’s wrapped

tight around your heart

i wish i could burn

the darkness away

light a flame in your chest

that won’t go out

even on the days when your soul

is fraught with storms

i wish i could pull

the sadness out of you

but it’s not up to me

i am not meant to be your hero

i am not meant to be your savior

i am meant to be your friend

i am meant to hold your hand

when the thunder inside is too loud

i am meant to hug you close

when the string tugs too tightly

i am meant

to listen

to understand

to love

i wish i could pull

the sadness out of you

and i will tell you that every day

but that is not

what i’m meant

to do

—but i’ll always be here for you anyway

you’re walking down a street in your neighborhood with your best friend. you haven’t been the most responsive lately, but you finally accepted their invitation to get coffee today, and you’re glad for it. you’ve missed them. life has become chaotic and busy, filled with too many obligations, leaving too little time for anything else.

“how are you?” they ask, and a million answers fly through your brain:

i feel as though i’m being pulled in a hundred different directions. i’m trying to figure out who i am, but i don’t even know where to start. i am so scared. i am tired of growing older, tired of discovering new difficult parts of life. i can’t catch up. i’m drowning. god, i’m drowning.