tell me something beautiful

You’re feeling that ice cold
Forgetting the good things
Caught up in the problems
Please stop complaining

yes, my throat and ears are feeling ice cold, sickly, ringing with an empty, dull pain. large purple shadows hang under my eyes and my lower lip is limp and swollen. there is no light in my room, besides what is creeping through the solitary window in the corner of my vision. but it’s not the warm variety of sunlight that wraps around and embraces you with the full force of summer’s joy … it’s the weak, dying light that seems to have crawled through the clouds in just enough time to die at your feet.

there’s a heap of wet tissues on the floor next to my bed and the roll of toilet paper beside me grows thinner as the minutes pass in equal proportion to the rate at which my nose reddens.

why now, why me? there’s a cross country meet on saturday, i could have gotten the grade for my geography test in class today, i had been looking forward to the discussion in literature on the scarlet letter, now there’s no way i can make it to the concert i wanted to see…

Tell me something beautiful
Lovelier than usual

i’ve finished my assigned reading for school. the dull ringing in my ears is becoming too much to bear while laying on my pillow so i sit up and rub my sore ears, close my eyes, try to breathe through my swollen throat. but even breathing proves to be painful. i reopen my eyes and catch sight of my laptop across the room. i figure now’s the time to catch up on emails so i stagger across the floor, rip the charging cable rudely away from the keyboard, and stumble back to my bed. i pull up my email.

please moderate, starry starry night: “I love this, it’s absolutely beautiful.”

i’m hit, hard in the stomach. that mind-blowing, whirling, spinning kaleidoscope of emotion when someone, a random stranger, not only takes the time to read my words, my small contribution and outpouring of myself into a world of billions of miles of electronic ink, but leaves their thoughts, their encouragement as well.

Hope is the closest
Haven’t you noticed?
This beauty in focus
Is dwelling in the depths of you
A desperate longing to break through

every once in a while i’m stunned by the overwhelming amount of positivity possible to be unleashed into the world … and i’m such a grateful recipient of that.

my friend who writes me an encouraging text every time i publish a blog post.

the random strangers on pinterest who read my blog and DM me with nothing but praise and inspiration. they had absolutely no obligation to click on the link, even more so to read my words, and least of all to contact me just to share their lovely thoughts. i’m still awestruck by the power held in that.

my friend who raves over every drawing i make, even though it doesn’t deserve half of her praise.

my followers who leave meaningful comments and their own personal thoughts on my posts.

they all mean so excruciatingly much. they give me the extra strength to pick up my pen, my drawing pencil … to punch the keys when i feel like there’s nothing to give life to my words.

Holding that pain is holding you back
Keeping that rage is keeping you sad
Caught in the wake of memories past
Pulling you down ’til you drown in the bad

sometimes that heaviness just won’t leave – the sullen dullness that characterizes any ailment of mine, physical or emotional. questions arise that don’t often come knocking into the head of a mostly optimistic person, and are merged into the flow of dull, restless pain. any new obstacle is consumed into that all-encompassing void of listless, lifeless existence.

I wanna see you wake up
Shake free of all these hang-ups
Your heart is filling with glory
Shaping itself when you…

but it takes only a gesture of love, of interest, of empathy – to pull you out and awaken you from the stupor we all feel at times.

do you know the power you possess with just a few words of honest encouragement? does anyone realize the impact of their choice to leave a little of their own love with someone, however momentary or passive it may seem?

the power of changing lives is so potent within us, right now. a smile can change the world. a word can change the world. i’ve felt that change working in myself.

the power of a simple “you look lovely today” can save a life. a compliment, a touch, a meaningful glance. a positive comment can mean the world to a struggling artist. it’s so easy to feel irrevocably lost in the massive extent of the universe – and when someone finds your little corner of thoughts, drawings, words – and leaves their encouragement and love – it’s mind-blowing.

Elevate, elevate, elevate (elevate)
Celebrate, celebrate, celebrate (celebrate)
Take a moment and appreciate
All the best things resting on the way

i’m now on roll of toilet paper number two and there’s a dent in my bed from laying in the same place for too many hours. my head aches from lack of hydration (which is completely my fault;). but inside? i can’t help but feel all goldeny-glowy. how can you, when you realize how much love you are the recipient of? how much you’ve been given? how much more you have to look forward to? how you’ve been shapen by your struggles? how you’ve grown to know yourself? how you’ve found your own niche, your own community of people who don’t hesitate to leave a little of their love with you?

Tell me something beautiful
Lovelier than usual
Relentless and immovable
Tell me something beautiful

it doesn’t take words to tell me something beautiful. to tell me that i have experienced some of the kindest people in the world, that i’ve been the recipient of so much love. that i have support from friends, family, even strangers. it’s this glow, this aura that i feel when i think of the inspiration i have.

i want to tell the whole world something beautiful, now that i have the examples of so many lovely others to follow. now that i’ve felt how special, how powerful it is to just reach out with your encouraging words.

i’m full of gratitude for each and every one of you. you’ve taken the challenge posed by this song and have shown me how to share my own love and beauty.

thank you