I'll be changing my mind.

Last week I told you how important you are to me but you didn't listen.
Last week you told me you really do care but friends is all we can be.
Last week you told me you don't want to hurt me anymore, but you are.
Last week you made my mosaic heart break into smaller pieces than it has before.

Three days ago we made intimate & passionate love at 2:00 in the a.m.
Three days ago things felt okay, and I even woke up in a good mood.
Three days ago you officially entered a committed relationship with her.
Three days ago my mosaic heart broke into smaller pieces than it ever had before.

Today I've been hurting so much more than I ever thought possible.
Today I've been thinking of you even thought I don't want to at all.
Today I've been trying to feel okay about all this, but I can't do it.
Today my mosaic heart is breaking into smaller pieces than it ever has before.

Tonight I'm feeling that pain which seems like it will never go away.
Tonight I'm needing somebody, so please tell me you're somebody.
Tonight I'm wanting to just crash and fall down, since it's all over now.
Tonight my mosaic heart is breaking into smaller pieces than it ever has before.

In this moment I'm wishing that you would've given me an opportunity.
In this moment I'm realizing that things will never be the same again.
In this moment I'm wiping away the last tear & leaving the past behind.
In this moment I'm deciding that my heart has been shattered by you for the last time.

In the morning I'm going to wake up and feel brand new again.
In the morning I'm going to be confident in my independent self.
In the morning I'm not going to regret choosing not to beg you back.
In the morning I'm not going to let you shatter my mosaic heart into pieces any smaller.

Tomorrow will be the first day of a future that is not including you.
Tomorrow will be the first time in a long while that I won't need you.
Tomorrow will be the first of many lessons finally learned & put to use.
Tomorrow will be the first chance I get to repair the pieces of my broken mosaic heart.

Three days from now I'll be doing much better than I am right now.
Three days from now I'll be thinking of you much less than I am now.
Three days from now I might not cry myself to sleep over you again.
Three days from now I'll be trying to guard my half pieced together mosaic heart of porcelain.

In one week you'll be changing your mind.
In one week I'll be standing strong without you.
In one week all this will be a mere memory.
In one week I'll know better than to ever wear my mosaic heart on my sleeve again...



                                                                                       ...just as soon as you give me a reason to.

Someday You Might.

Someday You Might

By: Miranda Byard (Me)

I find myself going back,

During times when I least expect to.

I fear my mind is forever clouded,

With the memories I have of you.

I hadn’t ever pictured things,

The way they are today.

I fought tooth and nail to keep you,

Tried to convince you to stay.

Nothing could prevent you,

From doing what you would.

Actions which caused controversy-

Undeniably misunderstood.

These things they would happen,

Day in and day out.

We’d fight and make up,

Forget what it was about.

And eventually it became so often,

We didn’t know why we were together.

We’d come to a mutual agreement,

Decided to throw away forever.

I never wanted this for us,

But looking ahead I thought I might.

Here I am 10 months later,

And you’re still the reason I write.

Your sweatshirt is still in my closet,

I’ve got your ring hidden away.

There are pictures in my dresser,

That I still look at every day.

And I know I can’t keep doing this,

Because it does nothing good.

I’ve been told to forget about you,

And I would if I could.

So I’ll sit here and feel sorry,

For myself and for you.

My heart is heavy with sorrow,

Because there’s nothing we can do.

And I hate to admit it,

But I still feel it in my chest.

You’re still that special person,

Who will always know me best.

I’ve been stuck here waiting,

To hear words you’ll never say.

Impatience pushed me forward,

To pave another way.

I picked myself up,

And dusted off the dirt.

Started walking away,

Pretending it didn’t hurt.

I fooled myself for a while,

Into thinking I’d be alright.

I had the help of one person,

Who held me close at night.

But I wasn’t getting better,

I started feeling much worse.

I’d accepted his lustful offer,

A form of ‘love’ so perverse.

An unhealthy relationship budded,

A replacement to my missing link,

Numbed the painful thought of you,

And helped me not to think.

It started out as one thing,

But soon became something else,

I knew he was trouble.

Influenza infecting good health.

He’d sleep and I’d wake,

Every day was the same.

Tomorrow’s pain would mirror today’s,

We’ve spent 10 months playing this game.

Walking on eggshells in the morning,

Sleeping on a bed of nails every night.

Playing pretend, wrong rules in mind,

All other concerns out of sight.

But I got tired of tiptoeing around,

I couldn’t hold my tongue anymore.

For too long I’d been hurting,

Crying alone behind closed doors.

And even then I couldn’t do it.

Couldn’t find it in me to tell him goodbye.

Instead we’d roll around in a bed full of tears,

And I couldn’t tell you why.

Every time I felt alone,

He’s who I decided to go to.

But every night I spent with him,

I was reminded of you.

It’s always back and forth,

He loves me, he loves me not.

Just last night we fought,

And then I gave him all I’ve got.

Desperate words left my mouth,

Just as our eyes did meet.

My heart beat faster,

Than the cars on my street.

“I can be whatever you want”

I whispered between clenched teeth.

But he couldn’t even look at me,

Eyes fixed on the ground beneath.

The silence between us,

Forced another mouthful of lies.

“We can just be friends then,

I’ve felt nothing this whole time”

And all I got from him,

Were three short words and a half glance.

“Meet me upstairs.”

This was my chance.

I was praying he’d believe me,

Hoping he’d be the one to give in.

But I couldn’t keep him waiting any longer,

So I went inside and let him win.

My stomach was in knots,

When he made his way to the door.

And the tears started flowing,

He’d left and I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

I cried so hard,

For the love I wanted so bad.

I awoke to tear stained pillows,

Makeshift sponges, soaking up the sad.

And in the mirror the next morning,

A mascara streaked face stares back.

A reminder of failed attempts,

And hurt feelings make their attack.

All over again the pain returns,

My red eyes rim with tears too wet.

Now I’m choking on my feelings,

Wishing him and I had never met.

It began as an innocent crush,

Now I’m feeling a self-inflicted burn,

Because crash after crash,

I still haven’t learned.

Eventually I’ll get smart,

And I’ll find the courage it will take,

To turn my back on this mess,

And stop this heartache.

When I finally force myself forward,

One foot after the other,

I’ll continue this journey,

Searching for another.

And even then,

Not much will change.

I’ll still look at our pictures,

And cry out your name.

I’ll relive our memories,

Day after day.

Trying to forget all the words,

That at one time you did say.

I’ll still see your face,

In strangers on the street.

I’ll still be picking up the pieces,

Of promises you could still decide to keep.

And at the end of each day,

I’ll turn out the lights.

I’ll be hoping and praying,

That someday you might.

mosaic broken hearts.

At the start of the new year I made plans to better myself, just as everyone does. Instead, I made some poor decisions that I am currently suffering the consequences of. Six, almost seven months ago, I experienced  some life changes. I learned what it feels like to be truly alone. I moved from home, my friends moved from home, we all started college in different towns, I lost my best friend when a two year relationship ended, and from there everything got a little hazy. Well, a lot actually. My heart got the best of me, and all common sense went out the window as I made the drive to the place where it all started.

It was sometime during the second week of January; I don't care to remember any more details than the ones which already remain in my mind unwelcome. It was early in the morning, and my mom was asleep. It was too easy: I slipped out of the house unnoticed, and made my way out of the driveway, and down the highway. My heart thumped louder than usual, and my phone was clenched tight in my sweaty shaking hand. Taylor Swift's "The Moment I Knew" hummed in the background, my best effort to calm myself, but I remained short of breath the entire 4 minute, 1.6 mile drive. 

On the left, the Emmet Brick and Block building was suddenly in sight, then one...two...three...four...five... six houses down, and there it was: A little white house connected to a small garage placed in a small yard close to the road. The next thing I knew I was slipping through the garage door and following a broken man's footsteps into the basement of what used to be the place he called home.

Following this occasion were two additional evenings spent at his friend's apartment, and since then, countless others at his house, as well as my own. Though the locations varied, the feelings exchanged each time were always the same, and the same sweaty sticky feeling we both mistook for love always remained on  our skin and lingered in the air afterwards.

Even tonight, just about an hour ago actually. We follow the same routine every single time. He arrives, parks his van across the street, and enters without knocking. Work shirts pool into individual heaps of blue polyester on my bedroom floor alongside similar attire covering each of our bodies. No words are exchanged, only heavy breaths, deep groans, and the occasional whimper. Afterwards, we lay together for a few short minutes, and then he mutters the same few short words, "I should go soon," and I reply, "I'll walk you down." The door swings open, and slowly latches shut. Then the rev of an old engine is drowned out by the same sobs that emit from the inside of my burning throat. 

I cry. The same sad cry of deep reoccurring pain and sorrow, accompanied by feelings of self pity, hatred, and disappointment. All the result of a problem I created for myself. It's really self inflicted pain, but there's something about feeling wanted and not alone, even if it's just for a short amount of time, that makes what we're doing seem okay enough to let it continue happening. There's something about the rush of pleasure that pulses through our bodies when fierce brown eyes meet icy blue. There's something about the tingle that makes its way from head to toe when there's nothing between our beating hearts but naked salty skin. There's something about being needed by another person, and allowing yourself to become completely vulnerable to meet their needs at your own expense. There's something about all that, which feels so damn good, but there's also something about what we're doing that hurts more than anything I've ever experienced.

And I know that, because it's almost two in the morning now, and I am feeling more empty than ever. There are a few cracks in my heart, and I've been trying my best to patch them all together for quite some time. This relationship has been the band aid that i keep trying to put on every time it falls off. 

But we'll keep doing this until we can't anymore. Until our shattered hearts can't be broken into pieces any smaller. And even then, we'll still find ways to piece together our mosaic broken hearts so that they can again be shattered one last time.

xoxo

-Miranda

.

TED Tuesday: The Power of Vulnerability

This is an incredible TED video. The beginning is a little slow, but you need all of the information she tells you to start with in order to appreciate the end the way you will if you promise to watch the entire video.

Brene Brown: The Power of Vulnerability

And if you don't have time for the entire video, I at least want you to take from it the main message which is exposed in the last couple minutes and is written below:

Starting at 14: 27 -- "Why do we struggle with [vulnerability] so much? Am I alone in struggling with vulnerability? No. So this is what I learned...We live in a vulnerable world. And one of the ways we deal with it is we numb vulnerability.

And I think there's evidence -- and it's not the only reason this evidence exists, but I think it's a huge cause -- we are the most in-debt, obese, addicted and medicated adult cohort in U.S. history. The problem is -- and I learned this from the research -- that you cannot selectively numb emotion. You can't say, here's the bad stuff. Here's vulnerability, here's grief, here's shame, here's fear, here's disappointment. I don't want to feel these. I'm going to have a couple of beers and a banana nut muffin. I don't want to feel these. And I know that's knowing laughter. I hack into your lives for a living. You can't numb those hard feelings without numbing the other affects, our emotions. You cannot selectively numb. So when we numb those, we numb joy, we numb gratitude, we numb happiness. And then we are miserable, and we are looking for purpose and meaning, and then we feel vulnerable, so then we have a couple of beers and a banana nut muffin. And it becomes this dangerous cycle.

One of the things that I think we need to think about is why and how we numb. And it doesn't just have to be addiction. The other thing we do is we make everything that's uncertain, certain. Religion has gone from a belief in faith and mystery to certainty. I'm right, you're wrong. Shut up. That's it. Just certain. The more afraid we are, the more vulnerable we are, the more afraid we are. This is what politics looks like today. There's no discourse anymore. There's no conversation. There's just blame. You know how blame is described in the research? A way to discharge pain and discomfort. We perfect. If there's anyone who wants their life to look like this, it would be me, but it doesn't work.

And we perfect, most dangerously, our children. Let me tell you what we think about children. They're hardwired for struggle when they get here. And when you hold those perfect little babies in your hand, our job is not to say, "Look at her, she's perfect. My job is just to keep her perfect -- make sure she makes the tennis team by fifth grade and Yale by seventh grade." That's not our job. Our job is to look and say, "You know what? You're imperfect, and you're wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging." That's our job. Show me a generation of kids raised like that, and we'll end the problems I think that we see today. We pretend that what we do doesn't have an effect on people. We do that in our personal lives. We do that corporate -- whether it's a bailout, an oil spill, a recall -- we pretend like what we're doing doesn't have a huge impact on other people. I would say to companies, this is not our first rodeo, people. We just need you to be authentic and real and say, "We're sorry. We'll fix it."


But there's another way, and I'll leave you with this. This is what I have found: to let ourselves be seen, deeply seen, vulnerably seen; to love with our whole hearts, even though there's no guarantee -- and that's really hard, and I can tell you as a parent, that's excruciatingly difficult -- to practice gratitude and joy in those moments of terror, when we're wondering, "Can I love you this much? Can I believe in this this passionately? Can I be this fierce about this?" just to be able to stop and, instead of catastrophizing what might happen, to say, "I'm just so grateful, because to feel this vulnerable means I'm alive." And the last, which I think is probably the most important, is to believe that we're enough. Because when we work from a place, I believe, that says, "I'm enough," then we stop screaming and start listening, we're kinder and gentler to the people around us, and we're kinder and gentler to ourselves.""

Now just think about that for a second.

.

Over the love.

It is mid-afternoon.

And I have hardly been out of my bed at all.

Here is a song, and if you can feel the emotion in her voice, you will know why I haven't stepped foot out of the comfort of my quiet and lonely bed.

"Can't undo what has been done, so turn off all the lights.

 Let the morning come 

& I'll cry and cry and cry over the love of you."    

-- Florence + The Machine ♥ 

Also, I am obsessed with The Great Gatsby. ♥

Help Ashley, she needs a new heart.

Hi everyone. Today I have a very, very special post. I want to inform you all of the opportunity you have today to help make a difference, and ultimately save a life.

Meet Ashley,

...a beautiful 20 year old who always has a smile on her face no matter what! She is an inspiration to all who meet her. She should be going out with her friends and having fun, but has, for the past two years, and most of her life, been in hospitals including NMRH and U of M fighting cardiomyopathy and frequently battling congestive heart failure. Just over a year ago, Ashley's heart stopped. Thanks to the awesome staff at NMRH, she was revived and airlifted to U of M in Ann Arbor where the equally awesome staff took over her care and eventually her heart regained some of the function.  

Since then, she has endured multiple surgeries and a life of pain and exhaustion. 

This is her personal story:

Now Ashley's heart is just too weak and enlarged to properly perfuse the rest of the body. The only option at this point is a new, healthy, donor heart. Ashley is being placed on the heart transplant list and must remain in the hospital until she receives her new heart. She has medical bills from the last couple of years and that pile is growing. In addition, her family lives several hours away and would like to be able to be with her as much as possible which means gas, food, motels, missing work, etc.

Ashley and her brother

Please help support Ashley and her family with as little of as much as you can!
All you have to do is click the link below and follow the directions to donate for her heart transplant. Every bit helps, and is so greatly appreciated.

Ashley Needs a New Heart

candles & wine.

Hello my lovelies.

I have a feeling you'll like this post a lot. I had an amazing time on this night and I am so excited to share it with all of you. As you all know, my boyfriend travels a lot for his job. A couple nights ago he told me he'd be coming home for the night just to see me. He drove roughly two hours and arrived to the college at about 8:40 pm. He made reservations at a restaurant in downtown Petoskey called Chandlers, which was a total surprise to me. 

Earlier in that day my best friend, Sandi, and I went shopping for a new outfit. We wanted to find something fancy that I could wear out.

We found a classy little black dress,

with lace and buttons all up the back

and a belt in the front to dress it up. 

I was so very excited for the outing.

I wanted him to look at me all night.

The lace was a really nice touch.

The open back showed my skin.

He told me all night how great I looked.

I felt really good and I finally got to relax.

I'm so thankful for Sandi. 

I don't think I could have

picked out a better dress.

Our dinner was more than amazing.

I didn't expect it to go as well as it did.

Everything was so perfect, it all felt so right.

We ate in a wine cellar and it was really romantic. 

Candles.

Dinner.

Wine.

Him.

Me.

Us.

♥

& i can't even describe how wonderful it all was. 

maybe that's what love feels like.

so indescribably wonderful.

surely i can get used to it.

strawberry wine.

Good morning everyone.

I bought another Pandora bead yesterday.

It holds soooo much meaning.

The Strawberry.

To me, the Strawberry symbolizes a lot:

summer, sweetness, innocence, and even 

new, true love.

Which is exactly what I am searching for.

It's a constant search though,

isn't it?