1. Succeed or fail, people are going to criticize you. Don’t pay it too much mind. Consider the source and take or leave from it. Be your own hardest critic.
2. Don’t allow the actions of others to make you cold or jaded—no matter how much you love them, no matter how much it feels unreciprocated. You’ll find those who genuinely appreciate you, and you’ve always had those who already do. (You’ve been unappreciative, too—in a way we’re all selfish.)
3. Most of us are often at a strange point in our lives. It’s a mysterious, illuminating, convoluted journey—and from that we can all relate. Would you want it any other way? Go make someone smile.
4. Don’t wait for anyone else to do what you really want to do. Be cautious who you trust with dependability. Don’t let anyone stand in—or out—of your way. Go for it now, or you never will.
5. No one really knows anything. No one really has a clue. We’re all making our way and making sense of things the best we can. Don’t beat yourself up too bad. Progress, learn, and do better.
6. No matter what you’ve been through, it doesn’t really matter. Though some roads may be similar, we’ve all had different routes. Some harder than others, but it’s all subjective. All human life has equal value, it only matters what you do with it that gives it worth.
7. We are all always alone: in a crowd, with friends and family, a lifetime lover. Sounds cynical, but understanding, accepting, and embracing this fact is monumentally empowering. Get sturdy.
8. Don’t forget to look at the sky once in a while. Especially at night, somewhere without light pollution. What was so heavy a moment ago? Right. Relax and humble yourself. It’s going to be fine.
9. Spend time with others to see what’s out there. What do you like, what don’t you like? Balance this with seeing how long you can keep to yourself until you go crazy. Then go out and scream in their faces.
10. Refrain from expectations and you will never be let down. Go with the flow but carve your own path. You are the author of your own story, edited by time and chance. Make it a bestseller. Make it a classic. Make it timeless.

It wasn’t the roots
that dug into me
it was the branches
how they swayed
in the breeze
how I sat there
smoking cigarettes
on the front porch
with my mother
rest of the family inside
and told her how I felt:
how alone I am
how alone we all are
and she said she knew
she said she understood
and my eyes welled up
my so-swollen soul snuck out
a drunken Freudian slip
there on the porch
on my birthday
looking at this tree
this godforsaken oak
tree that gutted me
and not one tree
but three, tightly bound
and its branches
swaying in the breeze
knowing the true
definition of loneliness
knowing that being alone
doesn’t mean
you don’t have anyone

it means no one has you.