A Trip Down the Holiday Greeting Card Aisle

#tbt

Dear Younger Me,

I’d like to tell you that life gets better, but we both know how I hate to lie. The truth is life doesn’t get better, you do. Life sucks for everyone. It is all how you deal with it. Your gut told you that you weren’t supposed to make it, but you did. Your imagination told you the world should end, but it didn’t. You always thought the apocalypse would be an environment in which you would thrive. You never really understood people, and don’t worry you still don’t. You never really fit in with the crowds, but you like that. Try to deny it all that you want, but I know you. I am the only person from whom you cannot hide. But I know something that you do not. You can adapt.

There is nothing wrong with change as long as you remain true to yourself. You are not weak. You never have been, you just thought that you were. You can still be an individual and have people in your life. There is nothing wrong with not fitting in to a society that is full of shit. You can always live on the outskirts and dip a toe in when you feel like it. The more unique you are, the more the people who matter will appreciate you for it.

My advice to you is this: don’t wait for the apocalypse to start living. You can thrive just fine in this world as long as you stay true to who you are and what you believe. But, you never know when the dead will rise, so I would still keep the knife by the bedside.

-Older Me

Whole

When I look in the mirror

I see your face

and when I speak

I hear your voice.

The older I get

the more sure I am

that you’ve instilled

not only your morals

but your spirit as well

into my soul

and I shall carry

it with me, not

as a burden, but

to make me whole.

© Autumn Siders 2015

Mother Nature

Mother Nature forgot

to throw the burial shroud

over the face of death

that covers Her earth.

That virginal white

gives hope so pure

until that too turns

dark with the usual dirt.

So while She forgot

to shelter our eyes,

perhaps it is best

we forget the disguise.

© Autumn Siders 2015

You’ve Made It

These days, it seems to be hard to judge success. How can you tell if you have “made it” as they say? Here are some ways to tell if your life holds any success.

– Do you own a car? You are probably doing quite well. Is it covered in rust, missing a door, and you pray to the heavens every time you stick the key in the ignition that the engine will turn over? You might not be doing quite as well as you could be, but at least you will have a roof over your head when you lose your apartment.

-Can you afford to go out at least one night a week with your friends? While going out to the bar and buying a whole bottle of whiskey for yourself proves you’ve got money to kill, it might mean something else. Seek help.

-When you have a guest over, do they have to ask where the bathroom is? If they can’t find it right away, this probably means that your house/apartment is big enough that this is not the first thing they see when they get there.

-Do you have more than one pair of shoes? One for every occasion perhaps? This means success on two levels. 1. You have money to buy shoes. 2. You have occasions to attend.

-Are you happy? This trumps any means of judging success that are out there. Who cares about any of the other stuff if you can’t say you enjoy life? Be Happy!