"Do you take pride in your hurt? Does it make you seem large and tragic? Well, think about it. Maybe you're playing a part on a great stage with only yourself as audience." 

I've so often labeled myself as delicate and broken and though those parts of me do exist, that is not who I am. I've been standing on an invisible stage whispering woe is me, woe is me. And even now, somedays I'm tempted to stand on that stage and begin yelling and screaming. But I am more than the hurt and the pain, it is not my whole being, nor my defining characteristics.

I became so comfortable being unhappy, that I wallowed and dragged my feet like a child in flex of a full blown temper tantrum. The cynic within kept reminding me not to get too close, don't open your mouth too much, there's no one you can really trust. For a lot of my life I've tended to see the worst in people, I assumed no relationship could ever be ultimately good and in believing that, that is exactly what happened. My relationships continuously fell apart because I had this idea in my head that no one would stay, so I didn't let anyone close enough for them to even have a chance to stay or I gave people an opportunity to stay when I should not of. People are not all bad contrary to popular belief.

So I'm changing things up now and in the upcoming year. I'm nowhere near where I thought I would be, but that is the part that makes this next chapter of life so exciting. The possibilities are endless. Life is all about chasing dreams, falling, making mistakes, but standing up and finding a new way. I want to tell more stories. Brave, hopeful, and provokingly honest stories.

If you find yourself on an invisible stage, standing in front of an invisible audience, get off of it; run and don't look back. 

Cheers to a new year and the adventures that await us.