Bucket List

The ship sailed through the sky. The clouds were silver and round, the mast was afloat. And suddenly, a shooting star landed on the deck. She walked up to it, picked it up in her palms, her face a pallet of wonder swirled with curiosity. In her hands, the star spoke. "The little birds of the morning keep us shining, night after night The twinkling eyes of a happy life, keep us sparkling bright The wishes of a loving heart, land us in your lap tonight." She closed her eyes in thoughtful prayer, kissed the little ball of fire and flung it into the air. She heard the warmth in the laughter that echoed through the sea of clouds as she went on, to don the Captain's Hat and steered the ship through the darkness with her heart's light, paving the way.

There will be moments in your life when you are faced with the most heart-wrenching of all decisions, you will ever have to make. "There is love in holding on.  And there is love in letting go." My best friend had once said this to me at a time when it made absolutely no sense to the fueled, idealistic and obstinate conviction that defined my being. How do you possibly consider letting go of someone you love? How dare you accept defeat and give up? I will always tell you to try your hardest, to try your best and then try a little more because there is a very important difference, a very stark and pertinent one, between loving someone and living up to that love. And it's absolutely non-negotiable that you do your goddamn all to live up to your commitment. But be graceful enough to recognize that not all have the same courage and strength as you. It's what sets you apart. And you will find what you're looking for. All in good time. All our feelings, all of ...

Run away with me! I have felt this, far too many times for it to be left unsaid. I promise you a life of adventure, limitless fun, dollops of honesty and countless, shimmering moments of passion that will translate into the strings of memories you will be pulled by, the silly puppet you are. So why do you hold back? What keeps you thinking over and over about the little things that won't matter two years from now? Why do you let yourself lie awake, hounded by your worst fears, in a world that only asks you to seize this moment and be truest to it? Why would you waste these precious, irretrievable moments of your life, in pretension? Why would you choose to not let your loved ones know their irreplaceable value in your momentary, fragile lives? Why would you spend your days, counting down to the moment, when you finally fit into the wooden frame you are already conditioning yourself to grow into- leaving behind all your childlike innocence, touching naivete and immense faith ...

They were making castles in sand, enveloped in the heat of summer that bronzed their skin as they went on, oblivious, with their eyes scrunched tight enough to just know where the stray sand, thrown from their tightly clenched fists, would hit the other. The sound of laughter broke the quiet lull of the river as she suddenly jumped up and ran across the banks, unable to dodge the pellets of warm, moist sand that he threw from behind, tumbling into a heap of uncontrollable joy that shook her body and soothed her soul. Covered with the silver grey, her eyes fell upon a seashell, curled into the soft bed of the bank, right next to where her face lay. It was pearly and irresistible, so she picked it up with curious fingers and held it to her ear. It was murmuring softly, above the rush of the waves that it seemed to carry with it, like the yearning of a displaced heart that knows where its home lies. "The sands of time will carry you into a world that will bathe you in magic W...