Must Be Hard (It's Only Four Years)

Dear Friend,
It must be hard
Living in the dark
Living in the lies
That you're constantly fed:
No one cares
No one understands
No one is listening...

Society has warped you into believing
That you are alone
That everyone is against you
And you must face your raging battles
Alone
With no assistance
Or help from anyone...

I feel so sorry for you
That you believe such lies.
Enemies?
Are you facing an Arab
Straight in the face?
Because if not,
There is no hatred so strong in a person
That you could call someone an enemy
Or they could consider you the same.

It's only high school,
Or didn't you know?
In four years you'll be done!
In four short years,
Though they seem so long
All the pettiness:
Jealousy, envy, greed and hatred,
Will wash away with time

Because thank the One Above
Girls grow out of their insecurities
And stupidity.
Don't fall prey to the
Drama! Intensity!
Because honestly,
They are only trying to make their lives seem
More interesting, more exciting
When really
They are just like everyone else.

So now you're sad,
Now you're upset...
What are you going to do with those emotions?
Wallow in them?
Bury yourself beneath their false comfort?
Indulge in them and let them consume you?
I think you know better than that...

Find someone to talk to...
There is always someone...
A friend, a teacher...
And when you can't find someone you can see
Turn to the One who is always there
And always waiting to hear from you.

Don't be another girl
Who lets what others think of her
Create who she is.
Paint your own life,
Write your own story
And if you wish,
Leave out the parts
About the other girls
Who were simply foolish to believe
That it was all about them.

Friend... I believe you are hurting.
I believe you when you say things are hard
But that doesn't mean you have to drown within those thoughts
Channel them to make yourself do something!
Let them guide you to a better place,
Let that hurt, that pain
Lead you into the comforting arms
Of the One who cares the most.

And after you have done that
Do me a favor
Let me know how it goes.

With love,
Your friend

Happiness Is...

Happiness is… a sports water bottle filled with pink lemonade.
Happiness is… a pen writing smoothly on a piece of paper.
Happiness is… accomplishing goals and getting things done
Happiness is… listening to music that just helps
Happiness is… having a way to escape when you don’t want to be caught
Happiness is… the clicking of computer keys
Happiness is… music to choose from, and actually liking what is chosen
Happiness is… a conversation with a friend that doesn’t make sense but makes both people happy
Happiness is… running around on five hours of sleep
Happiness is… pretending
Happiness is… being happy for your friend
Happiness is… laughing at how cute your friend is when she flashes her ring and bracelet
Happiness is… knowing you can make decisions on your own, for better and for worse
Happiness is… knowing that out of a million people, out of the six billion + people in the world, someone cares about you more than you can imagine

Happiness is… having faith that everything will work out in the end.

Happiness is… knowing that one song can touch your soul in ways you didn’t think existed
Happiness is… a (nearly) working MP3 player
Happiness is… spontaneous ruach in the middle of the hallway.
Happiness is… being “dramatic” and “intense”
Happiness is… getting away with breaking the rules
Happiness is... “knowing what’s coming next”
Happiness is… realizing all you have to be grateful for.
Sadness is… having so much to be happy for and not realizing all the good you have

Still Smiling

Being the day after Sukkos vacation, I consider this a chance to start my "projects" again with a brand new perspective. And sitting in Ivrit class, this is my thoughts about it...

I heard your voice,
Whispering in my mind,
Happiness is hiding,
Now go look and find.

I tried to imagine,
This task at hand,
Would it take months or years?
Would I have to search the whole land?

I asked for more clues,
From your elusive voice
But you already left
And I had no choice.

I looked deep within,
No answers were found,
So bravely I went,
To see where happiness could be found.

I asked a friend to tell,
What I should look,
With a smile and a wink,
She handed me a book.

I went to a teacher,
Who smiled so brightly,
She reassured me kindly,
"This quest should not be taken lightly!"

I looked to a mentor
Someone I looked up to,
Smiling so sweetly,
She told me what to do.

By days end,
I was completely wiped out,
But still I did not know,
What happiness was all about.

I looked in my mirror
To ask myself the question
Perhaps my own face
Could send me in the right direction.

I stared and stared,
For hours to no end,
It seemed so funny,
That soon my mouth did bend.

And then it hit me
Like a ton of bricks!
A stunning smile!
It finally clicked!

How simple it was,
All I needed was a smile,
And I could start being happy.
So I'm still smiling, being happy is so worthwhile!



BH today was a good day. I laughed at the things that annoyed me, smiled when I wanted to frown... (or mercilessly beat up certain people) and managed to come home in a good mood! Here's hoping for another day! And remember, when life seems kinda gray, a smile can clear those clouds away! (Try it! It works for me!)