Life and worth living.

Goodbyes almost make you want to to avoid love. When you love someone, it hurts when you have to part ways. It hurts so much, the pain doesn't seem worth living through.

But a life without love is unquestionably a life not worth living through.

The bitterness.

Don't ever let what you've been through make you bitter. If you've made it through what you've made it through, I'm happy. I'm glad you're that strong. But do not look at the people who are struggling and can't climb to where you are, and tell them, "I made it. So can you."

Not everyone is you.

The memories.

Happy memories hurt far more than sad ones do. Happy memories hurt even more than scary memories. You wake up from nightmares and realize you're safe now. But you wake up from a dream of a happy memory, and you realize that time has gone. And you won't ever get it back.

The worst part.

I hate goodbyes. Let's never say goodbye. I miss you already and it hurts.

It's what you don't have.

It's what you don't have that hurts the most.

They set cities on fire.

Sometimes I want to write a letter to people who hurt other people, who make bad choices, who hate. But then I realize, they would never read it. They set cities on fire, what's a piece of paper?

Robots.

Remember the robots on rooftops? And you said, "I want to see a zombie-robot war." And I said, "I don't want to see war anymore." And you said, "I love you." Remember?

Time.

Where did the time go? How is it that my feet are so far away? Let's go backwards, let's stop time. I'm afraid of the summer ending.

Specific place.

I don't want to be in any specific place. I just want to be with you.

Wake up, you're safe.

I hope that you have someone in your life who will wake you up when you're having a nightmare.

Believing in.

What do I believe in? I believe in music. I believe in love. I believe in flying kites and saying no and saying yes and I believe in you.

I don't have the words.

I want to tell you a story, but I don't have the words.

To be born again, first you have to die.

I love you, and I will never forget you. But sometimes people just have to run away, disappear, start over, make a new beginning. You may never understand, and I hope you never have to.

Someplace safe.

Can I tell you a secret? Can I leave a secret in your lunch box letter today?

I don't want anymore adventures. I just want to be someplace safe.

Empty houses.

There shouldn't be empty houses when people have no homes.

What I can give you.

If I had a house, I'd let anyone live with me who needed a safe, warm place. If I had a car, I'd drive you wherever you needed to go. If I had money, I'd buy you whatever you needed.

But I don't have these things. I can give you a hug, I can give you my ears and listen to whatever you need to say. I can give you love.

The shape of those words.

I wanted to tell you I love you, but I couldn't remember the shape of those words. So I didn't say anything when I walked out of your life forever.

I wonder if you'd want to know me, now, so many years away from then.

Fairy tales and candles.

Let's light candles and read fairy tales.

Peter Pan

When I first read Peter Pan, I was so distraught at the end. Why did the kids leave Neverland and go back to this sad, terrible world? I would've stayed in Neverland.

Why didn't Peter Pan come to my window?

Where have you been?

I haven't seen you for a while. We haven't talked. Where have you been? I miss you.

Bad dreams and stories.

If I have a bad dream, and I can't go back to sleep, can I wake you up, and would you tell me a story?

Pinata.

I've never experienced a pinata before. I'm not sure it sounds very happy. I mean, let's build a beautiful, colorful, pinata and put happy, wonderful things inside of it and then... we beat it with sticks?

Maybe if we made a Death Star pinata, or a Voldemort pinata, then it would be ok.

Paper and string.

All we need is paper and string. Let's make kites and go fly them.

Jokes.

What's your favorite joke? I wish I could always tell you funny stories and anecdotes and make you laugh and cheer you up when you are sad.

I'm sorry though, I don't know any jokes.

Wanderlust.

What happened to that list of places you wanted to travel to? Where did your sense of wanderlust go? Let's just go. Let's leave tomorrow.

A story about friendship.

Once upon a time, everyone was friends with everyone else. And no one fought. There were no arguments, no fights. There wasn't any hate between people. Everyone got along, and they held hands and sang songs and told each other stories.

But one day everything changed. A shadow came over the land, and darkness filled the hearts of the people. People started keeping secrets, fighting with each other, and people stopped being friends with everyone.

Now people aren't friends with everyone. There are fights and arguments, people betray and hurt others. Friendships die. And because this isn't a fairy tale, but real life, that's the way things will stay until people decide to live differently than they are.

Explore.

Let's go exploring!

My plan for today.

Let's go play on the swings. And if it rains, let's go dance in the storm.

Bicycles and lemonade stands.

Let's ride bicycles through town and get lemonade at the stand at the corner. Let's sit on the sidewalk and guess at the stories of the people who pass by. Let's make today last forever.

We make this world.

We make this world. Yes, we do, all of us. You and me, and all of our friends. So let's make it better.

Which path?

Who do you turn to when you need advice? What helps you decide on a direction? Have you ever felt completely torn, with a whole array of possible paths before you?

Thoughts of summer.

What makes you think of summer? For me, it's music and peppers and thunderstorms and swing sets and dandelions. It's bonfires and peaches and blue skies and bird songs. It's porch swings and friends and laughter and stories.