To stand (v.):

1. to take a position or place.
2. to take up or maintain a position or attitude.
3. to remain firm or steadfast.

When we first met, I was in the process of making myself into the person I had always wanted to be. And it wasn't because of you. All you did was show me that the person I had become was someone worth loving... someone to be proud of. And I loved me. And I was proud of myself.
When this first started, I told myself, and everyone else, that I could stand alone. So, that's what I'm going to do.
When this first started, I said, "I am who I am, with or without you." I think it's time that I proved that.

Serenity (n.):

1. the state or quality of being serene, calm, or tranquil.

Maybe it's time that I just sat back and let life come as it will. Because life is too short to stress over. And we are not in control. It is not up to us to decide what happens in the universe. It is only up to us to decide how we're going to react to it.

God,
grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.

To belong (v.):

1. to be proper or due; to be properly or appropriately placed, situated, etc.

Sweatpants. Tank top. Early morning. Laying on the hard, concrete gym floor. The smell of paint, floor, guard. The most comfortable place I've ever slept. Every muscle aching, feet throbbing, bruises in places I didn't even realize. Incessant clapping. Yelling. "Oh dear God, we need to do that again." Rifles dropping. Poles clanking against each other. Sun shining through the flags in the windowsill. Dusty bars of light falling on the floor, making the shooting star sparkle even more than usual. And amidst all of the pain, the noise, the fatigue, the sweat and tears and the long hours, I find peace.

I know, this is exactly where I belong.

Love (n.):

1. a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection.
2. a feeling of intense desire and attraction toward a person with whom one is disposed to make a pair.
3. a deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, arising from a sense of underlying oneness.

I carry love on my arms,
And scars in my heart.

I know I shouldn't blame it on love. Love did not hurt me. In fact, love is the only thing in the world that can take it away. But the scars remind me that the past is real. And maybe they'll remind me to think twice before I even let myself come close to falling in love again.

Expectation (n.):

1. something expected; a thing to look forward to.
2. a prospect of future good or profit.

The best things in life happen when you least expect them. I guess it's just natural to start expecting things of people... we come to accept what they do as normal, and then when it changes, we're completely thrown off base. Well no more. Having no expectations is the only sure-fire way in this world to guarantee that I won't be disappointed. It's the only way to make sure that I don't take for granted the things that I have been blessed with.

Expect nothing, and appreciate everything.