This world offers opportunities this way and that. North, east, south, and west. There's the ocean; 70% of the planet and only 5% explored. There are mountains; purple, green, and white. Some touch clouds, others are homes for elk, deer and bears that rely on the aspen trees and honeybees. There's the sun; it rises and sets every new day, marking new adventures. There are big cities that never sleep and country roads that are meant for long conversations. Opportunities go beyond our world, too. Constellations - twinkling pinholes - are really made up of menacing spheres of fire. The moon leaves marks we make imprinted on its surface forever. There are neighboring planets and there are planets five lightyears away in a space of meteors and nebulas, things we can hardly comprehend. But we try. Humans have created sailboats, submarines and scuba diving. We create trails among mountain cliffs for hiking and seeing wildflowers. We use the sun to measure time, to make checks on our calendars. We look through telescopes and play dot-to-dot in the night sky and blast off on rockets just to see what it's like up there. We ride hot air balloons and ski. We climb and dive. We skip and dance, sometimes in the rain. We fall in love and disagree. We write letters and read fairytales. We speak different languages, but our smiles sound the same. We're curious, motivated to see over the next tidal wave. We don't stop when it hurts, we finish the race. We make it to the top and touch the clouds. We make it past the top and walk on the moon. We watch sunsets and go stargazing wrapped in blankets. We discover and answer questions. We imagine while laying in bed. Why? It could be the thrill. It could be the beauty, the wonder. But behind it all, there's always a story. Hidden maybe, but present. That's what drives us. A story to tell, to pass on, to share. A trophy made of words and experience. Nobody can take it from you - nobody can even touch it. It's full of adventure, the way life is meant to be lived. It spreads joy and inspiration. There's a story behind everything humankind has experimented with. A story behind everything we do, all the choices we make. All the things we laugh about, cry about. That's why we don't stop. We keep going. Climbing. Skipping. Dancing. It's what makes us human. What will your story be? Not all have to be dazzling New York Times best sellers. Some are journals meant to touch hearts of closest family members. Some are poems that have great depth, and some are like children's books with a simple lesson. Don't let your story be an empty notepad; there's too much of our planet for any to be wasted. If you don't know where to start, get off the couch and walk outside. Feel the grass and find shapes in the clouds. Ride a rollercoaster or fly a kite. Do things that humans, ourselves, have come up with. The wonderous inventions of humanity! Make your own, write the world! There are still millions of stories waiting to be written.

Tell me why? What is wrong in the human's heart? You are not a human that I expected to exist when I was born. I thought human only has a pure heart, but NO!! Life is short, yet people are still so mean to each other. They complain, hate, argue, jealous, betray, stop trusting, find each other's mistake, blame, ignore and yell at one another, try to win, hate to lose, … etc. Why? What is that for? There's no need to wonder why they'd never be happy. They destroy each other's heart piece by piece. At the end of the day, there's no heart left, no more tear to cry, no more patience, no more love..., and it's the scariest thing. So, please, don't be that selfish. At least, we live in the same beautiful world, so don't make it ugly. Why not try to lower your voice a bit while talking? It's so annoying when it's loud. Why not try to open your heart and listen? Don't be so narrow-minded. Why not talk instead of arguing? We have various beautiful languages to communicate. Use it! When is the right time for you to stop? Or you love living this way? Isn't it hard to stick yourself with anger, hatred, pains, and tears every day? Why not try to create happiness? Isn't it what you people want? Is happiness something that would fall from the sky if you don't create it? You'd better know that you create your dream life, not others. Why not try to understand each other? There is always a reason why someone doesn't agree with you. Put yourself in their shoe and try to feel it. Why keep judging the things that you don't even understand? Stop making fusses about it! Mind your own business, not others and stop making those wrong assumptions and spread wrong rumors! Everyone hates hearing wrong and bad rumors about themselves. Stop complaining about your life; go and find something better to do that you can be proud of. There are so many valuable and useful things that make you happy. Life is really something more than what you can think of. All you need are energy and the beliefs that there's something in YOU to be discovered. Why not make your life better? You own it! SEAKLING ''JEEZ''

Everyone sees inspirational quotes; they're all around us. They tell us to "be strong" or "live your life to the fullest" but they don't really have a specific range. Where are we supposed to use these quotes in our lives except to make our walls look pretty in the family home? Most quotes online will have to do with the future or beauty for example "Change your life today. Don't gamble on the future, act now, without delay" Simone de Beauvoir. With these sorts of quotes, there's always uncertainty that they will really affect our lives they might just be a glimpse of what we feel in one instance and not in another.

I woke up one morning feeling sick. This was unusual because though I don't profess to be a superhero, I very rarely get sick. Some of my friends used to tease me that I was only piling up my minor illnesses and that the day I get sick, it would be an avalanche. I am relieved to report however that their grim prophecy has never seen the light of day. This particular morning, however, I was having a fever and my body ached all over. I decided to step out and was immediately welcomed by the loving embrace of the gentle morning sun. Suddenly when the rays kissed my skin, a current of exhilaration run through my whole body and I shuddered out of pure ecstasy. What a feeling I had! The pain and discomfort still lingered somewhere in there, but this new found feeling seemed to shut them out completely. I got a chair and stayed in the sun for the rest of the day until much later when the now hot rays reminded me it was noon already. The next morning, I woke up as fit as fiddle; no headache and no fever. I decided to step out into the sun keeping my fingers crossed that I would have the same feeling as the previous morning. To my greatest disappointment, I had no such feeling. I figured that the exhilarating feeling was linked to the mild sickness I had the previous day and as ridiculous as it may sound, I wished I was still sick that morning so that I could have the same feeling over and over again. Years later, it occurred to me that what happened that day was life's practical way of teaching me the truism in the saying that ‘'there is a silver lining in every dark cloud''. Sickness is not a thing anyone would ever desire, in fact, it is and should be abhorred. People would want to talk about any other thing but pain and suffering. It is too macabre a subject to discuss and yet in the greatest dark clouds, we have silver linings. There I was, wishing I would be sick, so I could enjoy the ‘'silver lining'' that accompanied the sickness. Pain is a universal human experience that we all feel. Think about it, the first cry of a newly born infant due to pain is what douses the fear of mothers that their babies are alright. Though man has gone to lengths to provide remedies for pain, it has proved over the years too elusive to conquer. Think about the pain of a breakup, the pain of losing a dear one; there is no prophylaxis whatsoever against these. Perhaps, this is to remind us that pain has come to stay and may mean more than we have ever cared to think about. No matter the kind of pain we experience, we must never become so fixated on it not to see the wonderful silver lining that may accompany it. We have not given pain a fair hearing in the courts of our minds. It has been typecast as not only undesirable but even evil. But if not for pain, you would step on a sharp object and feel nothing and that will only injure you more. Pain sets off an alarm system to ensure that our bodies are preserved. Have you ever thought about people living with leprosy? Their sickness is simply that, they are not able to feel any pain. Perhaps someone who is in deep pain at the moment is reading this and saying to me that I am oversimplifying matters. I must admit, that might be true. It is often a different matter when we are actually the ones having to go through a certain experience. I still believe though that, having the right perspective of the purpose of pain and suffering will not only help us smile through the pain but also engender an air of perpetual happiness around us. No one should ever wish for misfortune in their lives, but when it does happen, know that you are not defined by the pain that you go through. Know that perhaps it was purposed for you to go through that experience to identify a particular silver lining in that dark cloud. The world is replete with examples of people who at their lowest moments made their most outstanding breakthroughs in life. Always be reminded to take advantage of the silver lining in your dark cloud, even as you go through a particular challenge in life. Photo Credit: Zig Ziglar

Imagine a world of absolute pain. No, I mean imagine real agony; more, more. You're getting closer. Add a little more pain. Now, consider this imaginary world of yours is as a stumped toe in the night compared to the actual emotional world that you loved one is living in every minute of every day. I don't care how bad you can imagine it to be. If you have never been on the inside of addiction, you could never truly understand. Try telling a hospitalized burn victim that you “can imagine” how they feel. That healed grease-pop scar on your arm, the one that “really hurt” isn't even remotely close to what that person is going through. No, I don't have a PhD behind my name, my experience comes from the inside. I was an addict. Scratch that. I am an addict in recovery and will be for the rest of my life. When you look at your loved one, what you are seeing is not you little girl, or your little boy. That's not your sister, brother, mother or father. That's not your friend. All you can see is the outside shell. I've heard several say that is the abandoned building that used to hold that person. I'm here to tell you, that is not an abandoned building, they are still very much inside that hull. What you see is more likened to a garbage can that is holding what's left of them. I'm here to take the lid off and let you see the putrefied remains inside. When you look inside of that person, you are looking at the emotional sludge that has devastated your loved one. But unlike man-made garbage, God made your loved one the first time, and HE can re-make them again! There is no “bionic” theme music. I'm not talking about repurpose or recycle. HE can literally re-make them. The key is that they need for HIM to remake you too. You may even know their story, but you do not know their heart. If you find yourself asking, “Why?” then you could not possibly imagine the pain that it took to get them where they are. I heard a story a few years back. It spoke of two men, brothers, who grew up and chose very different paths for themselves. One became a preacher, a the other an alcoholic. When each was asked why they turned out the way that they did, they both responded, “because my dad was an alcoholic.” People react differently to trauma. Can you remember when the World Trade Towers were hit in 2001? Some people came out running, some walked, some required assistance. Some people were crying, others were in dry faced shock. They had all gone through the same experience but were reacting differently. Two parents can stand outside of a burning building. One might scream for their baby, the other might bolt inside despite the danger. There is a perfect example in the bible. Luke 15:11-32 tells us the parable of the prodigal son. A man had two sons. The younger wanted his inheritance so that he could go and experience the world. The older wanted to stay and be considered responsible. Neither choice was wrong. Many seem to forget that the inheritance was his to do with as he chose. Two men with the same background and the same inheritance chose two different paths. If you remember from the account, the prodigal son made choices that left him in despair. I heard someone say once that, “He got what he deserved.” That statement bothered me. What if he had made the same choices, but the situation worked out favorably for him? Would he have still “gotten what he deserved?” Many a liar, cheater and swindler have prospered and faltered and many a “good man” have done the same. The world that you loved one is living in is wretched and wicked, and emotionally painful. They already know it. They are living in hell on earth. Fear and pain form calluses on our soul that never heal quite right on their own. Please, stop talking about them, stop praying about them, and start praying FOR them. They want you. They need you. They are desperate despite what they tell you. If you are still asking why, stop. The clinical answer will never suffice. Don't ask, “Why aren't you eating?”. Feed them. Don't ask, “When's the last time you bathed?” Run the water and lay out a towel. Offer to carry them to a doctor, not the police. Stop screaming and start loving. If you really want to know why? Look in the mirror. You are strong and they are weak. You stopped loving them when you started judging them. When they needed you most you faced society and turned your back on them… you're so called loved one. Turn back. Please.

When I picked up the book 13 reasons why at a book store many years ago I had no clue it would change my life. I didn't know that I was fixing to read my story written by a stranger. A noticeable difference is that I am 31 and still alive. I lived Hannah's life but I made it. When I was 15 years old a friend called me one Friday night. She was intoxicated at a party with all males. She wasn't comfortable and asked if I could walk across the street to where the party was and stay with her. I thought nothing of it and told my parents I was sleeping over with the neighbor (just not the neighbor they thought). I cared for my friend and got her to bed with no issues. I locked her in the room and made sure none of the males present went near the room. We had all been friends for years with the exception of an older guy there. He was very attractive, rich and popular. As the early morning hours approached the friends all started to pass out. I was given my own room and soon found myself fast asleep. I woke up to the guy I didn't know asking if he could crash in there with me because the rest of the beds were taken. I remember hearing the door lock and even telling him that was a fire safety issue. I wasn't nervous because I was in a house full of people I had known for several years. I must have fallen back to sleep quickly but that wouldn't last. I was awoken to him on top of me, forcing himself inside me. I was a virgin and scared truly to make a noise. I think I may have whimpered but that only made it worse. I don't know how long it lasted. I remember he left the room and didn't come back in. I was scared to leave the room. When morning came I practically ran home. I can remember my friends calling me the next 2 days asking what had happened because the male was saying things about me that were not nice. I realized later that he immediately started saying things about my character so people would believe him when he said he never touched me. I had no intentions of telling anyone but made sure no one would believe me if I did. Something I didn't realize was that he was already 18 which made what he did statutory rape. I can remember that first day back at school how all my friends shunned me. People I had known since elementary school treated me like I did something wrong. I never told my parents. I quit cheerleading and the school newspaper. I didn't talk about it with my childhood best friends. They knew something was wrong but I shut down anytime I was asked. Things moved on and I finished the year barely passing after having been an straight a student. I thought for sure the next year would be better as junior but I was shocked the first day of school to find that my attacker had been held from graduation and would be back at the school for another year. Not only was he back at school but would be in some of my classes. I told myself that I could handle this by just pretending he didn't exist but he seemed that he needed to make my life hard. He would say things under his breath when I talked, he would loudly make comments about my reputation and would try to turn my few peers in the class against me. After a few weeks of this abuse I started taking sleeping medicine to get past the nightmares. One day he seemed particularly nasty towards me and called me to his table during lunch. He had some of his female friends call me some names and tell me how he would never have touched me. I took enough sleeping pills that night to never face him again. People wondered how I got the pills. I asked an older neighbor friend to get them for me. That moment of survival changed my life. I still didn't speak out of the attacker mostly out of fear. I felt like I was having a heart attack when I saw in the local paper that he been arrested with trying to pick up a 14 year old girl in a sting when he was 30. My first thought was he may have hurt other girls. I was so scared to tell and that may have left him able to harm others. I have dealt with the ptsd of the attack for years. Sometimes are better than others. Everyday I am glad that I didn't die when I wanted to so bad. I I am so happy that I got to meet a great man who understands my cold days. I am so thankful I got to be a mommy. When I hear people say that Hannah Baker from 13 reasons wanted attention I want to scream that she is real. She is me. I never asked for his bullying. I never asked for the whispers. I never wanted the sympathy. I just wanted to make the choice of my first time being with someone I loved not a stranger who prayed on virgins.