stars under skin (where you can’t see)

oh, I just have to ask, how does love feel like...?

Like you're burning inside sometimes and everything is spilling (and you can't stop it but hurt and -)

(like you don't want it to stop but only burn more and brighter because your heart is so full of it and wants so much more)

It's an enigma, a tricky thing. Contradictions. Complicated and sometimes, not

(sometimes, it's the clearest thing in the world)

but the thing is once you know love, you can't live without it (it touches you and leaves a hole that will kill you if it's not filled).

There's so much of it, so many different shades and shapes (some you will hate, some you will feel like it does not suit you but oh, oh my dear when you find that shade&shape that fits and sings home -

oh dear, that is when you will know it and,

-can never leave.

Challenge

Pay it Forward

This is a "Pass the Pen" challenge. Each story will begin with receiving a gift underserved and end with gifting as a random act of kindness. Post a true story if you've experienced this...then pass the pen to someone for them to tell their experience. 15 - 300 words. Ends April 1, 2019. $10 to the winner of my choice.

2Bamboopanda

90 reads

You Are Loved

One day, I was sitting in my local library, frustrated over a school project. I'd already been there hours, and as much as I enjoyed reading, the library was loud and crowded, filled with the sound of children running amok. So imagine my surprise when a complete stranger came over and handed me a yellow sticky note. It had a few simple words on it, "You are loved," along with a scribbled sun in the corner. The paper was attached to a dollar bill.

The stranger then told me the gift was to celebrate The Day of Love, which I'd never even heard of. I shakily thanked the person, so shocked I could barely speak. I watched as that same person, along with a few others, made their way through the busy library, handing out a bundle of paper to everybody in it. My parents and I left not long after that, and as we exited the building, I was still bewildered.

After we made it home, I tucked the dollar bill away in my wallet for safekeeping. I stared at the little note that had been attached, not quite sure what to do with it. I knew I couldn't throw it away; a complete stranger had given it to me from the kindness of their heart. I ended up pinning the note to my bedroom door, and it's still there, today.

Whenever I'm feeling down, I look at that simple, but meaningful message, and take reassurance in its words. Its message is clear and true. I am loved. To this day, that message has inspired me to show kindness to others. Whether it's a quick hug, a simple compliment, the words another person desperately needs to hear. I try to always be kind, so others know they're loved, too.