This is Living

This is Living

To live is not to simply exist,

To mark all the boxes on your checklist.

It is to enjoy every moment,

To find good despite being broken.

It is to ride the highs and lows,

To roll with the punches and go with the flow.

It is to dance in the sun and in the rain,

To shout in the triumph and in the pain.

To live is to fall in love,

With everything found below and above.

Not with just one person,

But with others, nature, and all your versions.

It is not about moping when things don’t go your way,

It is viewing things in the light of day.

It is going back to the drawing board,

Making sure all options are explored.

Living is finding the little things that bring you joy,

Being rid of the pests that destroy.

It is pursuing the things that set your soul on fire,

And doing it with the fearlessness required.

To live is to have hope that better days are ahead,

That you will not be left alone or for dead.

It is to find contentedness with the way things are now,

To discover the things that make you say, “wow.”

It is more than stressing about a test,

More than when you tried your best.

It is more than how much your house costs,

More than the burdens that exhaust.

It is more than how successful you are,

More than if you become a star.

It is more than when you get married,

More than when you are buried.

It is more than when you were born,

more than when you feel worn.

It is finding your favorite flower, favorite artist, favorite song,

It is going back and making rights from wrongs.

It is finding the people you love and who love you back,

It is overcoming all of your setbacks.

For me to live is to gaze at the stars,

To read hundreds of books, from fantasy to memoirs.

It is to dance and to sing and to celebrate,

To make the most of every single date.

It is make people feel welcome,

To eat lots of bananas and watermelon.

It is to plant thousands of flowers,

To play with goats and in the rain showers.

To live is to make art,

To pour out my heart.

It is to serve those who need it,

To have joy and never, ever quit.

It is to love the Lord with all my heart,

To make late night trips to Walmart.

It is to snuggle with cats and travel the globe,

To embarrass people by saying gnarly and dope.

My purpose on this earth is to love people well,

To put my toes in the sand and collect seashells.

It is to punctuate sentences with hallelujah and amen,

It is to sing his praise again and again.