In the woods,

Through miles of trees and bracken,

where even the smallest ray of light is lost,

There grows a flower

Not just any flower.

While most flowers require light and water,

and can not survive in the middle of miles of dense forest

Where it is deprived of these things,

Somehow,

This sole flower survives.

Against all odds,

Against all reason,

This flower perseveres

and while we may not be able to survive in an environment like this,

Without water, or energy.

You can persevere through things that you never thought were possible,

It is scary,

But if you trust yourself,

If you never give up,

You will survive.

You will be the flower surviving against all odds

I once read a book written by a Holocaust survivor

Who wrote about how your mind and body can go through much more than we think.

That stuck with me,

Maybe becuase it's something I knew deep down,

Or something that I wanted to hear,

Or just something that clicked.

Ever since then,

I have made it my goal to survive against all odds

Sometimes it is hard,

But if you persist,

If you do all that you can,

You will be that flower,

You just need to believe.

How to describe such a word

This word is life

This word is love

This is all you could ever want

It is happiness

It is the purest form of happiness

It is just joy

It is the reason I am happy

It is the reason I can jump out of bed

It is something you create yourself

Not from money

Or material objects

But from peace

From peace of mind

And peace of heart

When the trees start growing back

And the flowers start to bloom

It's easy to get caught up

In a moment

Or two

But just as these flowers bring happiness

Sometimes their disappearence makes us sad

But always try to remember

That there are always reasons to be glad

Now that warm wind blows through fields

And we are ready to go outside

Don't forget that these memories we've made

Have never died

So while we breath fresh air

Don't forget

That just as spring jumps up

It will leave without regret

So take time to enjoy the weather

And time to talk with friends

Because even though it feels short

It will soon enough, end

Feeling withoug passion is normal, we have all been there. What has helped me through those times are these points:

1. I have friends who can help my find something to be passionate about every day

2. I find enjoyment in doing things for others, so on days or periods of time where I don't know what I want to do, I do that (also how you get #1 above)

3. Oddly enough, exercise helps me be more awake and active

4. Do things with others, this is a little like number one but the point of this is to find people who will hold you accountable (this is not good in all situations, if you don't like it and it has no purpose, don't do this) but I have a chemistry podcast that I record with a friend of mine every weekend, I can't just decide not to do it, there is another person.

5. FIND SOMETHING YOU WANT TO FIX OR HELP this can be your passion on it's own, find something that makes you angry, or sad, or passionate, something that is going to make you want to get up every morning becuase this cause can be fixed and you want to do it.

6. Understand that you may be going through a time where you just feel less passionate, we expect progress to be linear, but in reality it has plateaus. You have to work through these but don't get too angry at yourself if you are a little slower than usual.

7. Set goals. Goals have helped me in so many ways, you don't always reach them, but goals will help you accomplish more.

8. Play an instrument. It helps me to play an instrument if I feel less passionate, and I usually feel better after, and if not, at least I have accomplished practicing and I usually don't feel like I am making myself practice. I recomend playing an instrument if you don't, I play the flute and violin and they are both amazing instruments.

9. Little rewards. You might have a hard time working towards something large, but if you give yourself some small rewards along the way, or intentionally choose something that not only helps you reach an overall goal, but helps you gain things every step of the way (if that makes sense) then you might find it easier to do something.

10. Most of these will only work if you have time. If you are stressed and studying or working too much, then you need to fix that. Everyone needs free time in their life, and too much or too little can lead to stress or boredom.

11. Reading. When all else fails, reading or sometimes playing a game help me get engaged in life.

I hope this helped, and I hope you find something to be passionate about!

A perfect cake,

Baked with loved ones

A color that is not just a metal

The color of sunsets

Of campfires

It is the color of life

And the joy that life brings us

It is the color of joy

And the joy that shows us what life can be

Life is a mystery, life is journey, a blessing. But to me, life is choices. You know, no one wants to loose someone close to them, no one wants to get sick. No one wants anything bad to happen to them, and despite this, it still happens, for some reason or another, the universe decided that it did not care what you wanted. So what do we choose? Do we decide 'I'm going to dwell on this and hope that something good happens to me' or do we decide that we didn't want that to happen, but it happened anyway so we'll just roll with the punches? Life is choices, it always has been. We are given a life, a beautiful life, so live it. Make the most of it. I hope this isn't too off topic but about a week ago, I was talking to some of my friends, some way or another the conversation switched to optimism and how positive everyone was. My one friend started talking about me and goes, she's always happy "she has a happy life" this honestly surprised me, because I had never really though of a life as 'happy' or 'sad' before, and after pondering this for a while, I stand by this. Your life can be bad, but that does not change your outlook on life, in fact, this is going to sound a little weird, but I am optimistic because I lost someone close to me, and I missed them, heck, I still miss them, and I think I will miss them forever, but she was also the most positive person I knew, she is the reason that I am who I am. And I guess I have come to peace with the fact that we miss people forever, but we can also still live our lives, and I know people who have had things like this happen to them, and have gone down a different path, a much worse path. So, to circle back to the topic, to me, life is choices. And I am aware that there are some things that you can not change, and there are many things I would really like to change right now, but choosing to live a better life, and choosing to be a better person is what makes your life good, that is the only thing that makes your life good, it is your choice.

Intertwining around a tree trunk

Climbing upon a building

fence posts rotted

Paint chipping

Flooring characterized,

By years of life

The shingles that remain

Seem as though a hurrican passed through

Smoke no longer rises from the chimney

Laughter is no longer heard through the windows

Memories made long ago are forgotten

To you

It is just an old house

With vines growing on the sides

Paint chipping

And old flooring

But to others

It is so much more

I’m not very good at poetry so I decided that every day I am going to pick a different topic and write about it, and tips or critisisms are welcome in the comments.

Water drips upon a grass stem

The wind howls through an open hole in a tree

A leaf falls into a pond

Even ripples scatter around

Every so often a branch falls

Crushing the soil beneath it,

A constant dripping noise on the roof

The pitter-patter of rain

Seemingly unnecessary water

Drips into a lake

Slowly

Increasing it’s size

But

Every

Minute

More falls

Flooding the earth

Thunder sounds from afar

Lightning is seen in the distance

Somewhere, a kid holds their stuffed animals tighter

Somewhere, the sun is shining

Sometime, the rain will end

Sometime, things will get better

The rain drips in the distance

Another thunder strike sounds

But for now,

We just have to wait

But I still consider myself a kid learning from all the adults in the world

So here's what I believe:

1. There is good in everyone

2. If you want to be stronger than hate you have to love stronger

3. Hating never positively affected anything

4. Nothing is more powerful than the friends you make

5. Chess is one of the best games

6. Some people get lost in trying to be cool and don't see a way out, but they way out is to be yourself and you will see the people who have done the same

7. If you work hard enough for something you can get it

8. People always told me when I grow up I won't be the same, I am still the same and now they applaud who I am

9. Don't change for those around you

10. If you show everyone love, you will feel beeter in the end

11. Don't be afraid to be vulnerable

12. Make good friends

13. The things you regret in life are the risks you don't take

14. If getting A's in school isn't cool then watch me burn

15. If being nice isn't cool then watch me be the sun

16. If you want to be good at something, practice

I once heard someone say that everyone gets old, but not everyone grows up. Some people grow up before they get old.

17. Never rush yourself to do something (unless you are procrastinating, then you should actually get that done)