In My Lil World...

i have a friend who draws caricatures and illustrations of the future of his friends' lives - what he sees into their lives that they have yet to reach.

he is this amazingly sensitive soul attuned to the quiet whisperings of his friends' hearts, those unspoken stirrings that some of them aren't even that aware of. he draws these emotions into beautiful pictures and i've always said to him, that he should try to build a career based on his art. my artist friend who can tell the future.

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i have a girlfriend who's this remarkably strong woman. her life has been one of such hardship, having been robbed of her family when she was in her teens, forgotten by her love who lost his memory in an accident... but she never gave in to the despair that threatens to control her life at each and every turn. it's not that she's desensitised. in fact, with every obstacle that comes along, she's deeply wounded afresh and perhaps, it's ironically worse that she's so strong because she only allows herself to cry but not to wallow.

she heals each time... each and every single time. no matter how deep the cut is, be it just a little bruise from a trip, or a knife that pierces her deep in her gut or pain so hot and real it scorches her very being... she heals... on her own, in her own time, working through her own pain.

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then i have these two friends whom i simply can't lie to, no matter how sometimes i wish i didn't have to be so frank with them.

but i think it's a good thing. they force me to be honest with myself. it's almost like they can read my thoughts or they can influence me in such a beautifully positive way that i just want them to know the truth, and everything that is true in me... which they see and acknowledge through the failings i try to hide.

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and there's the nerd of the group. such a beloved child. he's such a simple man with no personal wants except to live honestly, humbly and simply. yes, sometimes, he gets lost in his dreams and fantasies but otherwise, he actually tries really hard to be the man he isn't yet but knows he will be someday. and i know he will reach that goal if he doesn't waver or stray too far from his life's course.

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lastly, there's me.

simple, little me. the little woman inside this hard shell.

oh yes, i have had my fair share of knocks and falls. and i have climbed up and above all these obstacles. i like to think i'm strong and i know i am simply because everyone of us is. life is hardy. it can't be snuffed out so easily even when you think you have lost your spirit and soul.

i've also discovered i'm quite a little woman inside, wanting to don my apron, clean my house, look after my children and love my husband.

then again, there's that part of me that sometimes breaks loose from within. and i want to ROAR and shout out loud that i am ALIVE! and i want to try EVERYTHING that can show me what life is - that it is meant to be LIVED not avoided.

i shall not delve too much into this because i can feel my other half, dormant at this time, being aroused and waking up. but oh, the thrill of truly experiencing life with all its sharp tanginess... yes, go right ahead and lick up every last morsel of what is dished out. take it like a man without making a face at how awful it might taste but do it in the style of a true woman, brave, daring and beautiful.

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so we are this special, unique bunch of people. we weren't always friends. in fact, we've only gotten together recently. bonded together by our zest for life, to live and to honour this world, God's gift to us.

with all our quirks and strangeness, i sometimes wonder what the world thinks of us. making a difference actually means something to us... we want to, we have to, to preserve this world, our reality. but... we are just regular people. how does one rise up to challenges - challenges above the difficult circumstances in each of our lives - to make a difference in the world?

can we save the world if we need to?