Don’t Forget

Don’t forget to dance.

            In front of the mirror or on the living room floor.

Don’t forget to read before bed every night and to hot tub more when the weather turns cold. 

Forget your bottoms sometimes; he loves that.

Remind yourself that Jane Austin had a slow start and ended up alone.

            Although she never lost her pen.

Don’t forget about Detroit and the rivers and the vulnerable planet.

Remember you want to save them all someday.

Remember the mountains and how they make you feel powerful. 

Don’t forget how to hike and to always look for the moon on the horizon.

Don’t forget about yoga and when you drink yogi tea to save the little quotes on the tea bags.

Remember you are still young.

You don’t know everything yet.

You still haven’t been to Mexico.

You have a long way to go girl. 

But don’t forget you have also come a long way. 

Remember when you ran businesses, sailed around the Keys, and lived out of your best friend’s truck.

Remember when you only had $60 left to your name and you made it into thousands.

Don’t forget your roots are in the country, but you love your life in the city.

Remember your definition of success is different than theirs and this is okay.

            Maybe it’s not about the matching patterns or renovations or big screen TVs.

            Maybe it has nothing to do with fast cars or fancy shoes.

Maybe it’s simply about the way the leaves sound under your running shoes, or the way your heart races when you begin to apply to Grad School. 

Maybe it’s about spending weeks up North with your sister and making it home for Christmas candy weekend at your grandmother’s house. 

That if he can make you laugh every day and dance with you in the kitchen while dinner is cooking on the stove,

            And you can wake up with a smile, pray only with faith, and at the end of the day write about it,

Then my darling, you’ve done it all.

Mexico can wait until next month.