I forgave you without an apology for the bridge you burned

But this time you did not break my heart

You broke my trust

And that is something far more difficult to earn

Man is afraid of his own reflection

So he travels from woman to woman

Terrified of exploring the depths of a connection

When love is the greatest experience of being human

Love Is Not

If you want to alter the direction of your path for someone, it’s not love. If you want to change your values for someone, it’s not love. If you want to put your dreams on hold, compromise who you are, or swallow your truth for someone, it’s not love. It’s an unhealed part of you recognizing an unhealed part in them. Ironically, it is often the most passionate connection because of the intense familiarity. You have to see it for what it is. They’re a lesson, not a soul mate. They aren’t meant to fill the tears inside of you. They’re meant to further rip those tears open so you give them an honest look and finally repair what was once broken. That way, when true love does come, you will truly love from wholeness. Your ability to heal will deepen your ability to love so that you do not reduce the other into being your medicine, distraction, or possession. Do not remold who you are. Remember: Love never demands you change. It only ever demands you become honest and whole.

A Smile Beneath the Surface

Growing up, my mother had a smile that never touched her eyes

And I prayed one day she would know true joy inside

When asked how she was, she would slip on the mask of radiance and say, “I’m fine.”

She learned from generations of women taught to suppress the truth and hide

You see, my mother married her best friend

A man who would have sleepwalked through life with her until the very end

But she knew their love was no longer a home, it was a trap

Filled with the space of everything they avoided looking at

One day she remembered she is the creator of her life

And when she completely started over, I never questioned why

She curled up on the couch with a new man

And her smile reached her eyes as they lay there hand in hand

Death is so long when you look at our life span

She taught me to feel infinite within my finite life

And treat it as an adventure that is bold, joyous, and grand

Are You Nice or Kind?

There is a difference between being nice and being kind. Nice can be dishonest. It can be a “yes” when we really mean “no.” Nice can be the perfect bandage for our true feelings. Nice is normal—comfortable, in fact. It doesn’t shake up our beliefs or awaken deeper layers of knowing. Nice floats along from place to place, denying the freedom that comes with choice. Kindness is different. Kindness takes strength. It takes honesty. Kindness will never ask you to sacrifice your integrity; it will hold you to it. When there has been wrongdoing, Nice will say, “It’s fine!” with a big smile and hollow eyes. Kindness will say, “This isn’t okay, and there needs to be a change, but I hold you with compassion and understanding.” Kindness knows the power in honesty and how enabling people strips us of that empowerment. Nice is taught, but kindness? Kindness is who we innately are at our core.