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Dear readers, 

I did receive permission on sharing this. This is from my friend Tiffany. She shared this on Facebook today and I loved it. You'll see why. Here it is. 

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Why a Pheonix:

Someone asked me recently why I chose a pheonix picture and why several of my poems have pheonix based themes.

It's pretty simple really, a pheonix is a mythical bird, bound to a cycle of turning to ash only to rise again in flight. No one understand why the bird keeps rising, but it does, every time.

Life turns us to ash more then once. There is no single fix in life and then all problems are gone. We are destroyed over and over again; however, we also rise up again. Rebuild, rethink, change our reasoning and sometimes our beliefs are shaken but still we continue.

Not giving up is a choice. Growth is essential. If you are not getting stronger with each step you take, each trial you face, then I think it reflects either on your self awareness or your character. Being weak is a choice. Accepting that pain will happen and risking it anyway is a choice. Giving up is a choice. Getting bitter is a choice. Giving all of you is a choice. Everything we do is a choice. There is no such thing as a victim in life. There is ash and there is flame. You can not always determine what will happen to you, you can not control others or the world around you, all you can do is choose where to place your feet and keep going or sit down and give up, turn to dust.

To me the pheonix represents the human condition. Growth followed by loss followed by growth followed by loss followed by growth. Life prunes away the dead parts of us in surprising ways but even so we still choose how we cope with life's challenges. Sometimes we even start fires to burn away forests or fields to make room for new growth. No matter how hopeless it may feel there is always the dawn.

Even I have days where I feel like I can't breath, I cant move and I'm just to tired to go on. I feel I will never be enough for someone, never be right for someone. I get frustrated with my own inability to express myself. (I know you're gasping with disbelief; however, expression of thought and expression of emotion are two different things and I am much better at writing my thoughts then expressing my emotions. It's not like I can write a poem every time I want to tell someone something....I'm already weird enough lol) The point is, even with all my failings, with my frustrations and self doubt, I still choose to step forward, to try. Nothing grows without effort, nothing burns without a spark.

I may be ash today, but tomorrow I rise again burning with passion for life, for love, for adventure and inspiration. My heart is that of a pheonix. I may fall down a lot but I will always fly free again, just wait and see.

-Tiffany 

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Love, 

Megan