I Grew Up in Gray

Originally published on July 20th, 2017

I grew up in gray
I was raised in such a way to understand that nothing is completely right and nothing is completely wrong; Yin and yang, good and bad
People march to different drums, people run to different songs.
I grew up knowing that it is the differences that make us strong.

Life will hand some of us lemons and some of us limes.
We all have our trials they’re just different kinds,
So don’t hold your nose up in the air like that,
We all go through crap, we all fall flat.

Just because someone is different doesn’t mean they are less,
Give up the stress of division and open your arms to one shared vision.
Just because someone is quiet doesn’t mean they don’t have something to say,
And just because someone stands in the back doesn’t mean that’s where they should stay.

If someone is falling, catch them if you can because I can guarantee that life is not what they planned, and if someone raises their hand let them say what’s on their mind because it doesn’t take much to simply be kind.

Love one another, do something good.
Spread joy in the world, like you’d hope others would.
Open your arms, lend a shoulder, a listening ear,
Look deeper than appearance, and don’t give in to fear.

We are far more alike than they would have us think,
And life is passing us by faster than our eyes can blink,
So let’s not waste more time spreading hate and deceit,
Lift your eyes to the clouds and feel your heartbeat.

It’s a sign that you’re breathing, you’ve made it this far.
And with the life that you’ve lived, you can raise the bar for goodness and kindness and humor and love, you have all it takes, you just need to rise above.

So go, live your life, live it well, live it long.
Meet lots of new people, and know that the differences make us strong.
We can change the world, we just need a little more gray.
We’re all looking for answers, so c’mon, what do you say?