find your voice

we must not let words
get comfortable
or trapped
and live
in our throat
slowly trickling
our truth
back down
into a puddle
that hurts our soul
and keeps us from living
and keeps us from loving
the way we are made to

coincidence? or confirmation ...

it started out with a typical line but went in a direction that i felt was anything but typical.

check out the beautiful words that were spoken to me by a random stranger yesterday.
in a crowded room.
surrounded by hundreds of people.
this man turned and spoke to me.
there was no introduction.
no name.
i only remember he was a large african american man ... i don't remember what he was wearing, his facial features or his scent.
i only remember his eyes.
and these words.

him:  are you from around here?
me: no. you?
him:  no i live in the middle east.
me, nodding: oh
him: if there is something you want to do in your life
if there is something on your bucket list
or anything you feel you must *live*
you need to do it.
you got to!
life is not to be taken for granted.
i don't want to grow old and say to my kids, 'i wish i would've ...'
i don't wanna have regrets.
neither should you.

you take something for granted?
what you been granted gets taken away.
think about that.
i moved to egypt and i go back and forth to kuwait also. i love it there, i went to teach english.
i had to.
i'm just here for a couple of days.
cause even a detour ain't gonna stop me from doin what i was called to do.
from livin and lovin how i'm supposed to.
i love my life.
i had to do it.
had to make it happen and not waste my life.
my life is a gift.
so is yours.

and with a nod and a smile that was in his eyes, not on his mouth, we walked away from each other.

just minutes before this conversation, i had stood in this spot and taken this photo

another example of why i believe in speaking with anyone, anywhere, at any time.  
you just never know ...

♥