Rise . . .
Get up like the sun and rise. Today is a new day. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow is just an egg that hasn’t hatched yet, but tomorrow is brewing and so are the plots and the ideas and the problems we assume will take place. But now is not the time for this.
Today is here, as in right now.
So, rise!
I cannot begin to explain the mishaps of yesterday nor can I answer for the unfortunate outcomes that took place. I can’t say why. I can’t say who or what or when.
I can only say that now is not the time for this. There’s something coming our way and as we speak, the sun is breaking through the horizon.
First light is taking the sky and soon enough, the colors of dawn are going to celebrate the sunrise. Yes, this will be beautiful. This will unfold in such a way that even the moon is going to stick around for a while, just to see the morning take place.
Rise.
Be like the sun. Be like the earth and roll with what comes. Keep turning. Keep moving. Keep yourself flowing like a rapid or, when the time is right and when the mood allows, slow down for a second. And look around. See what you’re missing and don’t miss out on the small moments again.
Let nothing stop you. Let nothing deter you.
Let nothing alter your plans or your hopes and dreams. Let nothing get in your way, especially not the past or the sad projections that come from a past mindset.
Let nothing stop you.
And rise.
It is the truth.
Yesterday is gone. Neither you or I live there anymore.
Yesterday is gone. Better yet, yesterday is only a memory. That’s all. While I understand that not every memory is a good one—now is the time to readjust your settings. Now is the time to realize that if we are going to look back at all, or even if only for a second, now is the time to look back and find the victories in every moment.
Let yourself see the beauty. See who you really are. Understand the value of this moment, right here and right now, and let yourself find a reason to celebrate and stand up. Wake up and enjoy the world—just like the new morning sun enjoys the sky.
Get yourself together. Get yourself up and onto your feet.
Get yourself to where you need to be. Do what needs to be done without apology or excuses.
Get up.
And rise.
I know that there are aches and pains and invisible scars that no one can see. I know there are pains which no one can detect and no one else would understand.
I know there is fear. I know there is regret. I know there are bouts in the mind.
And yes, I know there are challenges and tragedies, catastrophes and unforeseen hassles that come with everyday life.
But there are victories. Even in the battles of love or in the tragic aftermath of some emotional or personally nuclear fallout, nothing was always so bad and nothing was always so terrible. There were moments, like now, when the sun came up and even among the poison, there has always been something beautiful for us. . .
like, the sunrise, for example.
So, rise.
I know there are questions and worries, concerns and doubts. But for now, look outside. Look at the sun. Look at how the sky changes when the sun comes up.
Look out at the world and take a deep breathe.
Exhale. Get ready. Lift yourself up.
Do what you can, by any means necessary.
Brace yourself for what comes next.
And rise.
Nothing is so tragic that we cannot survive another day.
Nothing is so pressing or so heavy and unfortunate that we can’t look up to the sky.
I know there is a special unfairness to this world. I have seen this too.
I have felt the wrath and the kindness, the unfairness, and the generosity.
I felt what this world has to offer.
I know about pain. I know about regret.
And I know about loss.
I know about doubt and the ongoing biases that keep us stuck in the “same old” mindset.
But for now. . .
Just for now . . .
Look at the sky.
The hour is early and the day is already hot. The humidity is high and the list of chores ahead are long and strenuous.
I get this.
But to me, nothing is so burdensome . . .
nothing is so challenging or taxing . . .
nothing is enough to stop me from realizing that this is a great moment.
This is the best moment of the day.
And I’m sorry if you don’t see it. I’m sorry if you don’t feel it.
But this is why I have come here, and this is why I am offering you this special note.
The best moments of my life were born with the sunrise. For the record, the most loving moment is now, as in right now, and at this time.
This is when the sun comes up and the sky takes on a new appeal. The horizon lights up with soft colors and all is still and everything quiet.
All is new and all is enough for me to enjoy the wishes to be standing somewhere close to my heart and, of course, to be there with someone (like you) who is even closer to my heart.
I want this.
I want to look up, to see the sky, to feel you next to me, and to know that this is a beautiful day.
This is as beautiful as the sky and the sun, and yes, this is why I value you more than anything else.
And lastly — this is why I’m still here.
And yes, this is why I choose to stand on my own two feet.
This is why I need to get up
and rise . . .
I have always loved the sound of this word.
Rise.
There is beauty to this world.
There is a perfection to its rebellion and resistance to the mundane or the status quo.
Rise, as in, get up.
As in right now because they day is long and there is much to be done.
But for now, please allow me this moment.
Just now.
Give me these few seconds to adore the vision of what takes place . . .
Let me see the sky . . .
Let the colors take off along the horizon
Let the patches of clouds hold colors in their folds and illuminate them under the bellies.
Let me look up and see this.
Let me hold this, just for a while.
So this would be our final battle.
And we could bury the hatchet
We could find peace
And once more, we can find our way around this place.
Together . . . if you’d like
But for now, just grab what you can and look out from your window.
Look at what you see.
Get yourself together
And rise.
The Written Addiction 