These Poems Prove Life's GREATEST Adventures Lie Straight Ahead

Life really does have it's up and downs. And that phrase, "When it rains, it pours" ... yeah, that's really, REALLY true. 

Everyone has their own way of dealing with their issues, but sometimes we get to a point to where we take a step back, look at our lives and think, what the hell are we doing here? Are we making a difference?

Sure, it's easy to say from the outside that we're doing a good job for what we've been given, but when you're in the thick of it, sometimes it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

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That's when you have to find something to bring you back to where you started. That inspiration. That motivation. That something that pulls you back up onto your feet, brushes you off and sets you on your way again. 

For me that's poetry. 

I was one of those girls in high school that escaped reality not with drugs or alcohol, but with music. You know, those lyrics you'd write in your notes to your boyfriend that somehow express (better than you ever could) how much you love and miss him. (You know you did that too.)

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But now I'm a grown up (gag). 

It all seems a little silly looking back at your teen angst a decade (or more ... OUCH) years later, but if you REALLY think about it, that part of you never leaves. That part that wants to feel something so deeply and completely that it consumes your mind.

And you know what? Kudos to those who admit it and embrace the fact that real, true feelings deserve a place even in adults' lives. 

Erin Van Vuren (@papercrumbs on Instagram) does just that. Through whatever things she may have needed to go through, she's found the ability to write down not only her pure, gritty, sultry, unedited feelings, but done it in a way that makes you remember what it's like to feel too. Because we're all here in "the suck" together.

So take a peek at a few of her pieces below and remind yourself that someone out there is just like you, just trying to get through life one step at a time. 

If you're searching for the best quotes and memes to share with the people you love (or just want to feel inspired yourself) ... look no further! From the sweetest love quotes, inspirational sayings, and hilarious friendship truths, we've got you covered. 

1On being so strong it hurts.

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"They're going to burn you at the stake when they find out that you're beautiful, funny, AND intelligent. Fuck them. Be all three. Keep the gold dust in your blood. Be royal as fuck. But don't you dare become small and still. The hardest ones to hold are worth the most." — Erin Van Vuren

2On that bastard that broke your heart.

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"If I find myself missing you, I will remember the needing of you. And the silence that followed." — Erin Van Vuren

3On holding on tight as hell when your world is imploding.

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"There's going to be days when you don't want to be here anymore. You just STAY. You fucking stay. Somewhere out there, somebody needs your voice — I promise. I swear to God, your laughter is someone's saving grace. Hold on tight, baby. The sun is coming for you." — Erin Van Vuren

4On being unapologetically yourself in every way.

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"I will not be another flower, picked for my beauty and left to die. I will be wild, difficult to find, and impossible to forget." — Erin Van Vuren

5On how important your life here on earth REALLY is.

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"Light up the night, wild one. Your smile is going to save someone's life.." — Erin Van Vuren

6On what it's like to find your soulmate.

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"The universe just fucking knows when souls are wired to wreck the world together.." — Erin Van Vuren

7On how important it is to never change —​ for ANYONE.

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"The ocean doesn't try to grow branches. The moon doesn't fight to burn hot. You don't see the stars trying to bloom. So, for fuck's sake, don't you go changing for anyone.." — Erin Van Vuren

8On finding that person you never thought you'd love.

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"You'd be surprised who the love of your life turns out to be. After all, Adventure fell in love with Lost.." — Erin Van Vuren

9On the kind of war everyone fights, every day.

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"It takes one moment to hate who you are, and a lifetime to remember how to love yourself again. This is the most important war." — Erin Van Vuren

10On giving up on the person you needed the most.

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"Oh, how your kingdom will fall ... When you find that your discarded pawn was the queen all along." — Erin Van Vuren

11On doing whatever the hell you want with your best friend by your side.

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"We wreck. I am the diamond child. And you are ecstasy run wild. When necessary, we throw on our tiaras, stir our No-Fucks-Given cocktails with our middle fingers, and remind bitches who runs shit." — Erin Van Vuren

12On knowing that nothing is ever as it seems.

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"If they seem shiny, pretty, sparkly, and perfect ... you run, love. You fucking run fast." — Erin Van Vuren

13On guarding yourself, but NEVER forgetting to run fast as hell after your dreams.

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"May our misguided spirits always be bulletproof, and our mad-hatter minds be drunk on imagination forever." — Erin Van Vuren

14On fighting for the one you love the most.

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"I will break every fucking clock on this earth to prove that we are not bad timing." — Erin Van Vuren

15On what it's like to realize nothing is forever.

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"It's all fun and games until feelings show up to the playground." — Erin Van Vuren

16On walking away from the ones that hurt you.

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"I will take your I'm Sorry, and I will raise you one Goodbye." — Erin Van Vuren

17On what it's like to be the "strong" one.

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"Didn't you know? Nobody likes it when the strong one breaks. When you're everyone's therapist, you're not allowed to make mistakes." — Erin Van Vuren

18On falling for the ones that aren't for you.

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"Beware of the human-shaped drugs. The detox is a painful one." — Erin Van Vuren

19On learning to live with (and love) yourself.

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"The scariest place I've ever been to, and my favorite place to go, are the same. My mind. It's a fucking uphill adventure." — Erin Van Vuren

20On living your life -- head on.

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"I am forever wild. i am the electric child. I kiss to kill. I will not sit still. I don't follow my dreams. They fucking follow ME." — Erin Van Vuren

Kayla Cavanagh is an editor and writer living in Central Florida. When she's not feverishly obsessing over spreadsheets and grammar, she enjoys drinking margaritas by the pool, watching movies with her husband, Matt, and dancing with her kids in the living room.