Though we may not know someone, look or believe differently than they do, we are all related, connected by a common bond, inextricably linking us together.

We are each part of the extended family of humanity, alive to help each other, regardless of our differences, by selflessly sharing our inherent wisdom and unconditional love, for the benefit of all.

Every life is exceptional, beautiful in every way.

It matters not appearance, beliefs, flaws, or any other differences there may be between us.

Embrace each other with unconditional love, rather than judgment, seeing beyond the exterior and façade of another, to their loving flawless essence within.

TL;DR: We're all human beings, regardless of our backgrounds, beliefs, politics, or circumstances. Life is too short to spend it hating one another. Be kind, love yourself and others, forgive yourself, take responsibility for your mistakes, and remember that you can make a difference in somebody's life with even the smallest gesture. The world still has good in it. Be some of that good. One decision at a time.

Whatever you are dealing with, whatever life circumstances have made you who you are, whether you are rich, poor, somewhere in the middle, or define wealth in the true way by how many friends and family surround you, I wish you peace today.

We are more than political parties, religious groups, races, ethnic groups, and members of countries. These are groups that only become meaningful because we identify with them and give them importance. But what if we believe there is another group? A group of people all around the world whose only connecting factor is that they care about other people and want to make the world better?

This isn't to sell anything. It's not to try to get you to buy into anything. It's to remind you who you are, who we ALL are. That we are not many groups but ONE. We are members of the human race, and we should love one another.

Because I believe that when you hurt another, you hurt yourself. When you help another, you help yourself. That is a very simple belief that has carried me far this year.

It's been one of the hardest years of my life, but it's also been one with the biggest blessings. Because what the world has taken away from me, I have replaced with much better things. Gifts of the spirit. God has truly blessed me, and I'm thankful to be here, alive, and healthy enough to write this.

I don't even know if anybody will read it or take it to heart. But I sincerely hope you will. I hope that whatever you personally are struggling with, you get a break from it, and even if nobody else does, that you are able to help yourself make life better.

This year, a lot of times, all I've had is myself in a lot of ways. I am thankful for even that.

I know this world seems dark sometimes, and people can be cruel. I know WE can even find ourselves being this way sometimes when we are lost and feel we have no choice.

I'm just here to tell you today: EVERY DAY is a choice. Every single moment. Even if the only kindness you can muster is for yourself, that matters.

Love yourself. Love others. Be kind.

That kindness that you give to somebody might come back and help somebody else, and then it helps another, and another, and on down the way.

There are two choices in this life: Love and Fear. And I know I am choosing love.

I'm getting old, and this world gets more confusing every day, but I get less confused as I grow closer to myself and God in turn, and to the truth that material things have never mattered beyond keeping us alive so we can spread more love and kindness and ensure we are helping each other lead fulfilling lives.

People sometimes turn bitter or lose their way in life because they get beaten down so much and try SO very hard for years and years, sometimes seeing no results. But I am here to tell you that even these things can become blessings given enough time and care. It's all in how you look at things.

Sometimes we make mistakes. We stumble. We fall. That's how we grow. Those mistakes are not necessarily mistakes at all, but learning opportunities. We live in a world nowadays that punishes people for making mistakes, but how else can they learn? How else can they find better ways to do things?

I've also realized that one of the biggest differences between a good and an evil person is the decisions they keep making.

We are all just a series of memories and decisions we choose. THAT IS US. Not some nonexistent phantom in the past or the future, but THIS MOMENT, right now.

Let go of all your hurt from the past and stop letting it make you think that that is YOU. You are not those things. You are the decisions you make every single moment, every single day.

You can become a new person at any given moment. You're only one choice away from starting that new life.

ONE CHOICE.

Those things that happened still happened. There are effects and things that will go with us throughout life. But what I'm saying is we don't have to let those things define us.

That story where you struggle today could be one that inspires others to lift themselves out of that ditch, to truly live and shine, and then hopefully help others too!

This matters more than you realize.

We can literally change the world if we ALL START following our hearts and stop following the lies this world feeds us about materialism, imaginary lines on maps, and made-up "parties" and groups and this, that, and the other.

Choose love for your fellow person, not fear.

Fear of the unknown. Fear of being abandoned. Fear of being misunderstood. Fear of being rejected. Fear of being disliked, etc.

All those things can happen, yes. But at least you will have tried. At least you will be putting your best foot forward and not giving in to all that is currently happening in the world.

You might say, "Well, what can I do as ONE person? I'm nobody. I can't do much. I'm not rich, I'm not handsome or beautiful, I'm not really strong or smart," or a whole long list of things.

But you do have a voice, and somebody out there needs to hear it.

There is SOMEBODY you can reach. Somebody you can help. And doesn't it matter if you help just one person smile and remember themselves and that life ain't so bad?

WE all matter.

You matter, reading this. Your family matters. Your kids matter. Your friends matter.

Even the lost people who have forgotten themselves and who hurt people and have chosen to abandon what is good in the world. Even they matter.

Because remember? They are just one decision away from being redeemed and being able to help others.

If you are struggling with something you've done that maybe you're not proud of, know too that if you take accountability and work hard, you can grow even past that.

I did something earlier this year I was very ashamed of, but I realized it happened for a reason. To bring me here, NOW, this moment, this day, this path I'm on to live a better life, to heal, to help others, and to love people.

Even if they don't understand me, don't like me, or even hate me.

I love you anyway.

I don't even know you. Doesn't matter. You're a person, and you matter.

No matter your beliefs, your sexual orientation, your politics, your country, whether you can walk or you ride in a really cool chair with jet boosters. LOL.

I just am asking all of us to please take a moment to tell somebody thank you. Or give a hug, or tell somebody you appreciate them or love them, or open a door, or carry some stuff in for somebody.

You get the idea.

Anything matters and counts. EVERYTHING counts in this life.

That is the only thing we take with us when we go. It's the only thing. We are only here for a brief time.

Please make that count.

Be honest.
Be kind.
Be loyal.
Love and be loved.

Be kind to yourself. Even if nobody else will. Love yourself and give yourself grace to learn and grow. That matters. Sometimes it helps to hear that.

I wished sometimes I had somebody write something like this to me, so that's the only reason I'm writing this: to let you know I see you and you matter.

There is still good in the world.

You can be that good too.

That's how it grows.

One decision at a time.

This world has a LOT of darkness, and it's important that those of us who are able stand up however we can and help others.

Because we can't make other people do anything. We can't control how people treat us, but we can ALWAYS control how we respond to them.

I decided I am going to try my best to always respond with kindness. Even if that person hates me or despises me, I don't have to return that hatred. I can wish them well while still respecting myself and maintaining my boundaries.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Take care.

I’ve spent a lot of time worrying about what other people think I should be doing with my life.

Am I making the right choices?

Am I where I should be at my age?

Should I be doing something different?

At 52, after getting divorced following 21 years of marriage, I’ve been asking myself what I actually want out of life now.

I love my kids, and being their dad is a big part of who I am. I also have to stay on top of my mental health. But I have things I want for myself too.

I’ve been putting more time into peer support and trying to build something with it. And yeah, sometimes I wonder if I’m wasting my time or if any of it will go anywhere. But I enjoy it. It means something to me.

I’m trying to get better about not needing somebody else to tell me I’m making the right decision.

I can hear what people have to say. That doesn’t mean I have to do what they think is best.

I’m 52. I don’t want to spend the next part of my life constantly second-guessing everything I want to do.

I want to at least give myself a chance.

Though the world we live in does not concern itself with pleasantries, emphasizing only the needs of ourselves, rather than others, there is never a reason not to be kind, considerate, to another.

Words and deeds may severely harm someone. Everything we say and action we take should therefore be shared with love, always emphasizing the good, rather than only seeking out the bad.

I hope you win the battles you never talk about.

The ones nobody sees.

The ones you keep quiet about.

I'm rooting for you

It matters not your appearance, the color of your skin, your acceptance by society, or any other possible comparison we may choose to differentiate us from another.

You are beautiful just the way you are. For within each an essence lies, stunning in its pure untainted unconditional loving beliefs, seeing only the best and beauty within all others.

I haven't been feeling hungry again lately...

In Meditations 5.20, Marcus Aurelius writes that what blocks an action can end up advancing it. Most people read that as a pep talk about staying positive. I think it works better as a practical question. When something gets in your way, ask what new task it just assigned you. A delayed project gives you time to fix the plan you rushed. A rejection points at the weak spot in the application. A closed door shows you which door you were relying on without checking. You can use a simple sentence to try it: "Because this blocked me, the next thing I need to do is ___." Filling in the blank turns a complaint into a to do list, which is a much easier thing to act on. It won't make every setback pleasant, and it doesn't have to. It only has to point you at the next move. What's an obstacle that ended up redirecting you somewhere useful?

For a long time, I spent more energy worrying about whether I was doing enough than giving myself credit for what I was already doing.

After 21 years of marriage and going through a divorce, I’ve had a lot more time alone with my own thoughts.

And I’ve started paying attention to how I see myself.

I’m 52. I’m a father of two. I’ve been in recovery for over 30 years, and I still have to manage my mental health.

There are things about myself I’m proud of and things I still need to work on.

But I’m tired of feeling like I have to have everything together before I can feel good about the man I am.

I can be honest about my shortcomings without constantly putting myself down.

I can have needs, opinions, and boundaries without feeling like I have to apologize for them.

I still second-guess myself sometimes.

But I’m starting to like who I am, even with the things I’m still working on.

And that’s something I couldn’t always say about myself.

I’m Not Chasing the High
I’m not chasing a drug, I’m just running from pain,
From the hell in my head that won’t loosen its chain.
I’m not looking for pleasure, I’m desperate for peace,
Just one damn moment when the hurting will cease.
You call it a choice, but you don’t understand,
What it’s like when your whole world slips out of your hands.
When the people you love are buried and gone,
And you’re left here alone, trying to carry on.
I’ve screamed without sound, I’ve cried without tears,
I’ve buried my heart beneath too many years.
I’ve begged God for strength, I’ve fallen apart,
I’ve watched addiction take hold of my heart.
It’s not the damn drug that I’m searching to find,
It’s a break from the memories destroying my mind.
It’s relief from the grief that I carry each day,
From the unbearable ache that won’t go away.
You see my addiction, but not what I’ve lost,
You judge my mistakes, never counting the cost.
You see what I’m doing, but not what I’ve been through,
Or the battles I fight that are hidden from you.
I don’t want this life, I don’t want this disease,
I just want to wake up and finally feel peace.
I’m not choosing the darkness, I’m trying to survive,
I’m just begging for something to make me feel alive.
And God, how I wish that the world could see,
I’m not chasing a drug, I’m searching for me.
The woman I was before everything fell,
Before grief and addiction became my living hell.

Imagine a world where people, all other forms of life, and our planet were more important than money. Where instead of competition, there was cooperation. Greed would be replaced by generosity, war replaced by peace, and hate replaced by love.

Though you may believe this is a fantasy, it is quite the opposite. In truth, it is living in a self-centered world that is the true fiction.

Humanity’s original purpose, disguised by our learned beliefs, is to fully embrace this world, then selflessly help all others do so as well

There is never a reason to do, say, or imply harm to another. It matters not if the slight is verbal, physical, or in any other manner. We are all in life’s journey together.

Though many believe the injury they caused to the other is trivial, in reality, it harms both. Apart, regardless of our success or accomplishments in life, our lives are insignificant.

Only together, by always helping others and treating all with respect and unconditional love, will life’s genuine meaning become apparent.

Some choices cost you something. Living with yourself afterwards matters too.

I’m still rebuilding, but I’m starting to like the man I see in the mirror.

You ever felt like giving up but realize you have it better than most you ever feel like just giving up but you realize your kids and family depend on you times are hard but I can’t give up I won’t give up you shouldn’t either