Penny For Your Thoughts

 I know that the plan isn't always clear. I know that the plan is written in smeared marker. Fingerprints of those who formed you The ones who taught you the game Smeared across the board Only cleared by water Creating a clean slate You likely don't and likely won't get an immediate play by play, Just chug along Put in the hours Practice and it will bring you power. -Emma Lancaster

 It is so possible to drown without water. Feeling is an ocean that will wash you up, rise, and suck you under again. The midnight zone awaits. -Emma Lancaster

 not enough not enough not enough not enough not enough not enough not enough not enough not enough if you say it a couple times out loud, the words sound funky be kind to those who spiral -Emma Lancaster

 An important lesson that I've learned over the last four years is that nobody has to love you in order for you to love yourself. If you can make a discovery about yourself, I applaud you. Cherish that gift of self, enjoy it as you wish because YOU are so wonderfully you.  I know that this is easier said than done, lovely. I'm a people-pleaser, myself.  I have faith in you, though. It is not selfish to internally recognize your own worth and beauty.  It is boastful to tell everyone else about it.  I am certain you can find something to love about yourself and I further challenge you to find something you dislike about yourself and fix it.  Find your love. -Emma Lancaster

 Tonight, I write about community. I've taken a break from writing.  I've come back to it. Tonight, I write about community. We don't always realize how many people want us to succeed until we are planted in front of them.  Often, it takes an event to spark the flame of appreciation, a birthday, a special occasion, or a moment of finality.  But, when that spark turns into a flame, you are reminded of the people that love you. They want success for you. They care about your wellbeing. They want you to succeed.  I feel the joy of those that surround me. They not only lit a fire but fueled it.  I am incredibly thankful. I am changed for the better.  One final bow. -Emma Lancaster

Diamond, a poem. Pressure does not a diamond make. Every action does in fact possess an equal opposite reaction. The stone placed first pressures the exerting force equally as the pressure attempts to make a diamond. That stone, that rock. Heed its guidance and listen for the whispers in its grains.

 I've been thinking about once-in-a-lifetime opportunities lately. Certain things, we can determine for sure, are meant to happen only once during your lifetime and will happen only once during your lifetime. For example, my twelve-year-old self was astounded when I came to the realization that I would never again have a Wednesday night campfire with those exact same campers and those exact same counselors in the exact same campout spot. That was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The other side of these experiences though strikes me differently. My father, not even middle-aged yet, looked out over the Grand Canyon and proclaimed he had no intentions of ever returning. Seeing the canyon was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for him.  Is it true though? How are we to know that we will never look upon that great big hole in the earth ever again?  We simply don't know when our time to leave this earth will come, so I recommend you treat special things and experiences with ...

 I'm sick of people. I'm all peopled out. I don't really want to be around them right now or talk to them. They're starting to make me bonkers. I often just hit a limit on my capacity to be kind and patient with everyone and that limit is often hit when facing adversity. So, there you have it. I am exhausted and my whole self feels quite hollow. Am I writing instead of sleeping?  Absolutely. -Emma Lancaster

 I have discovered that I am not the biggest fan of "space," both in the context of giving it and needing it.  We just had a long period of time where space was mandatory. Can you blame me for not wanting it much anymore? Here is where the problem is: I need space to cool off. If you couldn't already tell by my random late-night rantings, I get fired up about things quite quickly and with much vigor.  Space is beneficial.  I know that. Don't get me wrong, I grew up a lot during that long space.  It's just, as a result, things changed.  They were ultimately good changes, and I went with the flow of things, no matter how hard that was (and still proves to be). I just want to be a part of the growth process in other people now instead of focusing all the growing energy on myself.  I want to grow with other people. Space is not my favorite thing in the world, physical or theoretical. Thank you for reading my brain tornado. It looks a bit more linear in wri...

 Frogs. What wonderful creatures, are they not? I quite like them. They're very green and lively. That's it.  That's the post. Goodnight internet. -Emma Lancaster