Those Words Without A Meaning

You only have one life,

You have the choice,

To live, to suffer, to imagine,

I've heard those words,

So many times,

Never quite knowing their power.

I used to be optimistic,

Thinking about the good,

Loving my friends,

Being a leader,

But also a follower,

Trying to do good.

I always felt like I was in chains,

Even the good times where never perfect,

I spotted the bad, not always the good,

Phrases and words where what I loved,

I said them but never understood,

I never saw their true meaning.

Through my experiences,

(Trust me I have enough)

I saw the dark side for many days,

Weeks and months passed by.

I always tried and looked at those words,

So small yet perfect, not knowing their strength.

When I got out of the nightmare,

I became a follower,

Needed my friends,

So dependent on others.

I never really noticed,

Until i saw myself change,

Had little strength to stand up.

I had a lot of time to think,

And I have made some changes.

I am less dependent on others,

Will stand up for myself and friends,

More daring and more open,

New experiences and new friends.

With the things I've been through,

(more then most kids my age)

With all my experiences,

The good and the bad,

I have come out of my own "ice age"

Everything around me is blooming now.

I am not saying my life is perfect,

In fact, it's far from that.

I am just saying that I learned to deal,

Find ways to cope with the bad,

Not ignore it, for it is still there,

But handle what I have.

We have hard times for a reason,

It is a blessing to have them,

For they make you so much stronger.

Stronger then you where,

You could never reach or set goals

Without them there.

I am so very grateful,

For the experiences that I've gained,

They have taught me so much

Especially about myself,

Reminded me of what is important,

In life, specifically in mine.

When I say, only you

Have the power in your life,

I mean it from the bottom,

Of my very heart.

I mean it in the most truthful,

Way I possibly could.

Happiness is a choice,

One you have to make,

People make it in different ways,

Which is all okay.

I had chosen to ignore

The good things for some time.

But is is finally time,

To make a change,

To chose happiness,

To chose freedom from those chains,

To chose to be the best person,

That I could possibly be.

I will try not to go back,

Because my mind is set ahead,

I am looking to the future,

Looking for improvements I can make,

Seeing opportunity, but still remembering,

Remembering the past.

Looking at the better side,

Of events that happened,

And are still going on,

If you chose, you can see the bright things,

Because it is a person's mindset,

That determines good and bad.

I will never forget where I came from,

But I will not regret what I did,

Because the choices don't matter anymore,

I am not settling for less.

The future looks much brighter,

Now that it is finally here.

I chose happiness,

Because with happiness,

There is nothing to fear.