Even when it seems like no one would really miss you if you were gone, truth is, you are still here.

Even in the loneliest hour when it feels like there’s only you and yourself to keep you company, remember, there is someone who would not be on this planet if it were not for you. Whether it be your kind words of encouragement in what may seem like an infantecmile moment to you, your smile at a seemingly innocent stranger, your couch cushion coins to a homeless person on the corner of your route home, or what seems like a random text to a long lost friend, they need you. Your tears need to be wiped from that tender, child-like cheek, your seemingly endless heartache, your questions of why me or why not me are insignificant in terms of the one life, the one person, at that one moment when it is you who makes all the difference.

So in those times of darkness and pain-filled deep breaths, or those times of questioning why you are really here and if anyone would miss you if you were gone, remember, there is someone out there, most likely unbeknownst to you, that needs you for even that one moment. So hang in there. Wipe your own tears from that pillowcase. It’s ok if you’re all you’ve got. Breathe deeply and remember you are necessary, you are here for a reason and you are needed. Even when it seems like no one would really miss you if you were gone, truth is, you are still here. And that someone you need, is there waiting to run into you...too. Tears dried, tiara on, holding on tight. You are still here for a reason.

Anxiety...You Bitch

Anxiety is a real, true, utter BITCH. Yes, I said bitch because only a female could be as conniving, backstabbing and messy as Anxiety. Her ability to wake you in a cold sweat by bringing your fears to the forefront on repeat, as if it’s your favorite song, is a skill only females have mastered. She can sweet talk her way into your chest until you feel as if the weight of the universe is settled there and you can garner no more than a straw’s worth of oxygen, just enough to keep you from literally dying: though you have already died a thousand times in your mind because of Her.

Anxiety worms her way through to your soul, particularly when the clock ticks it’s loudest in the hours where the the moon is at it’s fullest and the nocturnal animals are on their jobs. She wants you tired for the next day so her work is easier. So that She can weasel her way into your forethought and so that you suddenly feel like not living would be easier than facing her again.

Guess what, Anxiety. I am a bitch, too. Strong willed, strong arming my way through a world whose mantra is that women like me, women period, are second best, second string and for some, second veiled without the freedom to walk down the street. I am a bad bitch who would rather walk alone than compromise what I know to be my truth whether it is The Truth. But then, She comes along and creeps into my otherwise peaceful dreams distorting them into dark sounds and eerie sights. She comes into my waking moments making my heart race as if I’ve just been told to run for my life. She fills my head with all of the things that could go wrong because so many have gone wrong and is somehow able to overshadow everything that’s gone just right.

Oh, you bitch. NO amount of prayer or meditation or medication can remove you forever, only tame you into temporary submission. It is my blood to fight until my last breath so me and you will remain adversaries of the ages. Know this, bitch, I do not quit. So...leave...me...the...fuck...alone. I will no longer be easy prey. I DO NOT stop and you are NOT my master. Keep swinging, though. I know you will often connect and have one heck of a left hook. But know that I fight whenever, wherever, however it needs to be done and I will not ever stop. Bring it, Bitch. My tiara and sword will be right here, not running, but standing firm.