I find myself staring at car lights

The streets grow dark at 5 o'clock and the sky is brilliantly blue-green

In the pastel glows of tail lights and street lamps

I see families driving together

Or a person walking their dog

Masked faces in fast food windows

And friends huddled together for warmth

They remind me it is okay to be human

That I may stay silent under the scrutiny of my father's harshness

Or speak too much when confiding in friends

Or run too fast and skin my knees as though I am 9 years old again

Or make adults cry with my stories

The beauty of others is a reminder

I do not always have to be enough

Because we are all living life like it is not enough

Seeking more, demanding better, a need for everything

Sometimes the world disappoints us

Or blinds us with a lie

It is not good enough, today

But, today, neither am I

It is in realizing that it is okay to accept less than

That we may strive for more

Because tomorrow?

I may be much more than enough