I don’t believe in a god, not in the traditional sense anyway. I guess that’s what being raised Catholic has done to me. But I do believe in energy. I do believe in right and wrong. I do believe in kindness and truth. And not everyone else is like that. I’m learning that. I’m learning that there are some really ugly people in this world and I’m not talking about their outsides. I’m talking about their souls, their essence, the people they are.
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I am not perfect. Far from it. And I have accomplished a fair share of mistakes in my short time on this Earth already. But I have never gone out of my way to hurt a person deliberately. I know that there are two sides to every story. I’m not stupid. I’m a good listener. I care about the feelings of others—sometimes too much and that is what gets me into trouble, caring for the wrong people sometimes. But I don’t have a malicious bone in my body. Some people may call that weak. True or not, it is simply the person I am. And if others choose to view me as weaker, there is really not much I can do about that.

I’m fortunate, though, that for every rotten person who chooses to jump to conclusions or who chooses not to ask questions and listen to the answers, there are a dozen who do—people who care. People who listen. People who can see the truth in the cracks of others’ lies. People I am fortunate enough to call friends.
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Life is never going to be easy, and the life of a writer comes with all kinds of its unique issues. The more public I become, the more I open myself up to slander and lies. Some days it's very easy to give up. But it also opens those doors to friendships and a wealth of goodness too, people who are wonderful and forgiving and kind and supportive. People who are not motivated by jealousy or greed, but by love. The Beatles once said: “All You Need is Love.” I believe in that simple phrase. The simpler, the better. Perhaps “you may say I’m dreamer, but I’m not the only one.” Being kind and forgiving and supportive and sensitive isn’t weak at all. In fact, it takes courage and strength not to succumb to hatred. It’s much easier to choose that path. Instead, I’ll choose love and that is my strength.