Life is hard at the moment...

There are moments in our lives when we find ourselves at a crossroads... Afraid... Confused... Without a roadmap... The choices we make in those moments can define the rest of our days... Of course, when faced with the unknown, most of us prefer to turn around and go back... But once in a while people push on to something better... Something found just beyond the pain of going it alone... And just beyond the bravery and courage it takes to let someone in... Or to give someone a second chance... Something beyond the quiet persistence of a dream... Because it's only when you're tested, that you truly discover who you are... And it's only when you're tested, that you discover who you can be... The person you want to be does exist... Somewhere on the other side of hard work and faith and belief ... and beyond the heartache and fear of what lies ahead...

Just because the road ahead is long, is no reason to slow down... Just because there is much work to be done, is no reason to get discouraged... It is a reason to get started, to grow, to find new ways, to reach within yourself and discover strength, commitment, determination, discipline... The road ahead is long, and difficult, and filled with opportunity at every turn... Start what needs starting... Finish what needs finishing... Get on the road... Stay on the road... Get on with the work... Right now you're at the beginning of the journey... What a great place to be! Just imagine all the things you'll learn, all the people you'll meet, all the experiences you'll have... Be thankful that the road is long and challenging, because that is where you'll find the best that life has to offer...

He who hesitates is lost... We can't pretend we haven't been told... We've all heard the proverbs, heard the philosophers, heard our grandparents warning us about wasted time, heard the damn poets urging us to seize the day... Still, sometimes we have to see for ourselves... We have to make our own mistakes... We have to learn our own lessons... We have to sweep today's possibility under tomorrow's rug until we can't anymore, until we finally understand for ourselves what Benjamin Franklin meant... That knowing is better than wondering... That waking is better than sleeping... And that even the biggest failure, even the worst, most intractable mistake beats the hell out of never trying...

Nevertheless, you will look back on the times you laughed and you will cry, you look back on the times you cried, and you will laugh... You will always remember close friends, and you will always keep memories of them in your heart... Life is hard. it's tough, and it's unfair, but everyone gets over the hurt and the pain, eventually, and you always end up with a smile on your face, if you give it a chance...