to do

lets order an unnecessary amount of take out from the Thai place on main street and play in the snow without gloves or shoes

lets go on a drive up the canyon without taking a single picture and make memories that only we know about

lets go to prom wearing our moms’ old dresses and dance like no one is watching (because they arent)

lets talk about how much it hurt when he walked away with your heart in his hand and how he didn’t even look back as he tossed it carelessly over his shoulder 

lets get so caught up in the moment that we can’t remember what day it is

lets blast music and scream the wrong lyrics and dance with our hands out the rolled down windows and lets pretend that it’s not below freezing outside

lets fall in love with strangers and everyone else

lets break the rules no one ever bothered to write down

lets cry until there’s no salt left in our bodies and lets laugh until it becomes the only thing we know how to do

l e t s   e v e r y t h i n g

because there’s still so much to do

but time’s running out
and i am too

don't we all?

i blame elementary school for turning me into a perfectionist.

in fourth grade they told me to reach for the stars, so i did.

and when they told me to write down my goals for the future, i did.

i reached and i reached and i wrote

without ever realizing that reaching the stars wasn’t the problem.

the problem was figuring out what to do once i had them.

“reach for the stars” they said as they forgot to remind me about the footprints on the moon.

and my mom told me she would still be proud of me even if I chose to keep the stars.

but this never ending road of constellations is confusing and i keep getting lost

and I've never been good at listening to my mom.

it’s time to figure out what comes after the stars,

so i’m trading them in for the Moon.

and for a new name.

so i no longer have to be the girl whose name doesn’t look quite right in cursive,

i’m no longer the girl who hates her too big nose for her too round face,

the girl whose words are usually hidden behind her unwilling lips.

so let me start over.

nice to meet you,

i’m Avery Moon.

i’m in love with mountains that touch the sky and snow that never stops falling.

i crave silence that doesn’t need to be filled. and let me tell you,

i’ve been to Paris once before and it was just okay.

...but i came back and this time i’m here to stay,

because i figured Paris deserves a second chance.

don’t we all?