Guide to living

You want to know the secret to having the best life? 

You want to know how to never have a bad day?

Or maybe how to be the crazy happy friend that never stops smiling?

This isn't where you're gonna find it. 

Let me help you realize something.

This generation isn't about living. 

No that's for our grandkids. 

This is about survival. 

Surviving the brutalities, the numbness. 

For putting one shoe on at a time and walking out the door. 

For cranking the music up loud enough to drown out our thoughts,

 and breathe.

This is about breathing. 

breathing 

We are the trial period. 

The ones they test on, the ones they rate from an allusion-to-dust. 

We are the kids they put on pedestals and watch.

And they are the people that walk through us not around. 

The people we avoid eye contact with and knuckle breaking handshakes. 

The tongue clickers and pen scribblers. 

They're the ones who start rumors in the shadows. 

Pointing at us, analyzing our shadows. 

Cutting us into millions of paper cuts, then pouring hand sanitize

all over for good measure.

They feel better about themselves with their pill bottles and prescriptions, saying

 "this will help" and "don't worry, this will make you feel better". 

What bull crap is that. 

We sit in desks carving our fears for the next to see. 

We try to shut our eyes every night and tell ourselves 

expectations aren't under our beds,

 it's just our imagination. 

We aren't the defining vote. 

We aren't the pretenders

We're the homeless. 

"Not homeless, more like home less than we would like to be" 

We are the honest.

We are the kids with too many holes and not enough 

gold star stickers to hide them. 

We don't sleep to dream anymore. 

Because our cups are half full and half dirt. 

And maybe we tell it like it is, and maybe we hide behind road signs.

Whatever we do, this is how we survive.

we are surviving

You want to know how to live? 

How to make lemonade when all you keep getting are lemons?

Well listen up because sugar isn't pouring from the sky, rain is.

I'm not about to tell you the secret to life so you can write the millionth book on 

accomplishing goals or how to be successful.

I'm telling it like it is because comparisons are crap.

And so are those books.

 I used to be afraid of letting people down but now all I do is stub my toe.

Because walking in the dark is harder than you'd think.

Here's how you live: you survive. 

Wake up one day at a time and breathe. 

Tie your shoes and walk out the door.