Bring it in. Bring it out.

Sometimes there are people in your life that bring out the best in you. They make you think and inspire you to do things you might not otherwise try. For some reason, conversation comes easily and whatever you talk about seems like the most important topic in the world. Contemplating how grass grows becomes interesting. Suddenly, even the unimportant questions and answers become important.

Sometimes you bring out the best in other people and you don't even know it. Just by being you, you make them come out of their shell and reveal that person they didn't even know was inside them.

By being a good person, you can make others around you better. By opening up, you may find a better person inside than you started with. By refusing to settle for what is in front of you, you can get to a new place, a better place. What is easy is not always what is right.

Your Person

There's this person. I can pretty much tell them everything. I just can't help it. Sometimes I don't even want to tell them, but I tell them anyways because I can't hide anything from them. But I know I can fearlessly lay it all out there, and know that they will still love me. They won't judge me. They understand how my heart and my mind work. They get me. And in turn, I get them.

As well as my person knows me, I know them that well in return. I would do anything if I knew it could make them smile. I would sit and listen as long as they needed me to. I would do anything for them.

A person like this is special. We have a connection that can't be explained and certainly not understood at times.

They know things. They know when something is wrong without a word spoken. They know when to dig and when to leave it alone.

They know I'm not perfect. No one is. And they love me for my faults and mistakes, as well as my successes and victories.

They are my protection and strength.

Even when I feel like I've rambled on and on about the same problem over and over again, they still listen. They still try to help even though there is no solution.

That's what a person does. They are unconditional. They are irreplaceable.

They are the person who keeps wiping tears away even though they know they are still more coming. They are the person who hugs you because they think you need it, and hugs you even if you don't need it.

They have an open heart and a gentle mind. They have patience lined with tolerance. And though they will not judge, the very thought of them makes me want to be a better person. They know the kind of person you can be. They can see it in you. A person wants to help you not just see it but believe it, too.

They are your shoulder to cry on and a friend to laugh with. You love them for who they are. Because people like that should be cherished and never ever forsaken.

Thank you, my person.

Bubbles

My thoughts are drawn to that moment in time when it seemed like everything was possible. A moment when reason was humiliated by emotion and trust. Rational thought was replaced with fantasy and hope. Whether fate or luck brought you together, the moment you feel it, you know it. Locked in the moment, enclosed in a feeling. Nothing seems real yet everything seems possible. Hope, for the first time, doesn't feel like a childish pursuit. Because at that moment, in that time, everything felt right.

Bubbles are where love starts. Bubbles are where walls crumbles and fine lines are erased. The thought of wrong or never are distant memories and live only in a time that wasn't everything it could be. YOU were not everything you were meant to be. In that bubble, you become lost in the idea that perfection might be possible. A dream, maybe? But a dream that never seemed so true until that moment. And a dream you cling tightly to when that moment passes.

What happens there is magic. An energy lives in that bubble, and its power can only be know to those who stand inside it. But the walls are fragile. Like a heart, bubbles must be cared for gently. For it's a great deal easier to hurt someone you love when they have completely opened themselves up to you. When they have laid everything on the line and looked into your eyes and said "This is me. Please accept me for who I am. Please cherish me for all that I am. And please do not let my heart feel pain." People allow themselves to become vulnerable because they love you, and they pray with their whole heart you will love them with the same depth and breathe.

Bubbles can not be forced. They can not be made. Bubbles can only exist when two people have truly open their hearts and let another in, fearlessly. The world around you fades into a haze. Nothing else matters. Nothing else means anything. It's that feeling. It's that moment. Nothing else matters. And time. Time speeds by you at a frightening pace. Minutes seem like seconds. The sensation of a touch, a breathe, a look penetrates your heart with ease and abandonment. Captivating you completely. All you can see is what is in front of you. All you can do is give yourself to the moment and live it to its fullest. No regrets. No hesitation. Hold on to that feeling. Fight for it. Never forget it. Love the person who is there in that moment with you. They are special. And your connection is undeniable, unforgetable and precious beyond words.

This was a long time coming...

The ongoing list of uncompromisables

I wanted to start this list because I believe there are certain things in life you shouldn't and can't sell yourself short on. No matter how right, good or perfect life seems, if you've compromised one of the following things, it really isn't as right, good or perfect as it could be.

(In no particular order)

Uncompromisable #1:

PASSION: My personal buzz word and mantra. But the fact remains, if you're not passionate about what you do, why are you doing it? If you're not passionate about who you are, change it. If you're not completely passionate about who you love, don't pretend you are happy.

Life is only worth living if you are dedicated to find what makes you feel alive. Maybe you're not meant to impact the world with earth shattering brilliance, but you are here for a reason. If not for nothing but to make yourself truly happy. Even the decision to begin the journey to discover your passion may be enough to ignite an internal fire. No matter how big or small, or what form your passion comes in, it has to be there. To embrace your passion you have to be fearless. It's not easy but truly great things never all. You have to believe in yourself and trust that if you follow what drives you, you will eventually discover your passion.

There will be more. Passion is just number one.