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White
Orchids
Poetry & short love stories

Ry Reed Books

Ry Reed

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 Other books by Ry Reed

A H.E.R.O.S PROJECT series

A H.E.R.O.S PROJECT 12

Poetry
PINK GRAPEFRUIT

WHITE ORCHIDS

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I wrote White Orchids, originally, for me. I needed
to motivate myself. There were times I
contemplated quitting writing and these poems
changed my life. Then it hit me, I’m not the only
person on this planet struggling. I figured it would
be a good idea to share what I’ve learned with you.
So, to you, my reader, and new friend, if you’re
trying to discover a passion, working on them, can’t
decide if you should follow your dreams or have
already taken the plunge, keep at it! Work on your
dreams every day. Surround yourself with people
who love and support you. Find moments to be
alone to develop your craft. And don’t forget to
celebrate every milestone. That’s very important to
do. Every small victory deserves a celebration.

Good luck and too many more wins,

Cheers.

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Keep hitting the same rock until water flows from
it.

-Ry Reed

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You helped me learn how to run again, thank you.

Sarah

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 CONTENTS

Other books by Ry Reed 3

CONTENTS 7
Your dreams are seeds 20
Dream big 21
Dangerous men in wait 22
How long change takes… 23
Born dreamers 24
Relatives 25
Be patient even with the little things. 26
Standing on tippy toes 27
Watch the seasons go by 28
I know you can do it 29
Go buy a journal 30
It’s called procrastination 31
You are a story waiting to be discovered 32
Your today starts right now 33
Lies we believe 34
Self-doubt 35
The selfish one 36
Imagination-Os 37
The painter 38
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You never know 39
Time is of the essence 40
Childhood wonder 41
Marvelous creatures 42
Dreams to reality 43
Born fishermen 44
8 a.m. traffic 45
Chicken… 46
First day of… 47
Usurper 48
The bird who never met the sky 49
Ghost of the current past 50
Foot physiology 51
The truth 52
Easily swayed 53
The first step 54
Get to work 55
Weight scale 56
Youthful spirit 57
Just your imagination 58
Pandemonium 59
Rose colored lens 60
Sirius 61
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The greatest pretender 62
Four corners 63
Your story begins 64
Black and white 65
Master designer 66
Sowing seeds 67
Today 68
First lap 69
Time sensitive 70
Mapquest 71
Short stories 72
Gear up 73
REM 74
Pocketwatch 75
Never settle for less 76
Why not 77
Pain tolerance 78
Mason jar 79
True mirror 80
Scared 81
Ry Reed said 82
Dawdle 83
PLANTING SEEDS 87
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Architect 88
Subconscious mind 89
All in 90
Goldrush 91
Growing season 92
Sunflower seed 93
Wishing well 94
Mud 95
Cookbook 96
Life questions 97
New lineage 98
The process 99
You answer 100
Proactive 101
Patience vs impatience 102
Monday morning 103
A letter to the haters 104
Bloody pride 105
Dream killer 106
The human condition 107
Moses’s apprentice 108
Greatness 109
Coming my way 110
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Time to leave the nest 111
uncomfortable 112
Hardships 113
Goodbye mother 114
Would you believe me 115
Barren harvest 116
A complete waste 117
Sore wrists 118
The five year plan 119
Journey 120
Foreign comforts 121
Let’s get serious 122
Your dreams did take root, you just can’t see them
yet 125
Greatest impact 126
Pregnant 127
Waiting 128
My own race 129
Weather forecaster 130
I just learned this 131
Thieves and villains 132
These are the rules 133
Grammy 134

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Ask him 135
It’s lonely 136
My story 137
Secret sauce 138
Existence 139
Find it 140
Dreams in motion 141
Friends of faith 142
Push 143
Starting line 144
6 a.m. 145
Your fault 146
I once knew a man 147
Five years 148
Hair cuts 149
Time will 150
I’m the problem 151
Wake up early 152
Wipe tears 153
Off her porch 154
Let them go 155
Lone ranger 156
Define failing 157
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Behind the scenes 158
Gratification 159
Grandma 160
Miscarriage 161
Take Root 164
Will and won’t 165
Professional 166
Storms 167
Just breathe 168
Frustration 169
Crossroads 170
Define tenacity 171
Scarecrows keep fear away 177
Galaxies 178
Let them know 179
Battle ready 180
Right 181
Take it easy 182
Quitters 183
Protection system 184
You’ll see 185
Right way 186
Scary movie 187
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Mind your beesiness 188
Figure it out 189
Immature 190
Standstill 191
Made for war 192
The next day 193
Listen to yourself 194
Eat up 195
I said it 196
I went there 197
Contently uncontent 198
Bedhead 199
A lifetime’s wait 200
Weeds in your garden 204
Pug 205
Atlantis 206
Those people 207
Vampires 208
To themselves 209
Bad company 210
Scaredy cat 211
Light bill 212
Elon 213
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Judas 214
Weedkiller 215
Continue on 216
A wall 217
Write a response 218
Check for fangs 219
Support group 220
Yup 221
Happy people 222
Careless men 223
Loverboy 224
Pack life 225
Remote control 226
A very hard truth 227
Waves goodbye 228
Reading glasses 229
Scavenger 230
Mingle 231
Proud mama bear 232
Hercules 233
Warning label 234
Write what you feel 235
Be gone 236
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Write a response 237
Write a response 238
Write a response 239
Write a response 240
When droughts come 244
Anchor 245
Rock climber 246
Green tea 247
Cinderella 248
1% 249
Sealife 250
Reminisce 251
Sedan 252
Prepare for war 253
Head above water 254
A strong grip 255
Power mode 256
I don’t like Monday 257
Well rounded woman 258
I thought 259
You can… 260
Road bumps 261
Inner fire 262
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Investigate 263
Curveball 264
Bus stop 265
Earth bender 266
Concentrate 267
Minor scars 268
Tell them 269
Glue 270
I will do 271
Knobby knees 272
Real talk 273
Think about it 274
Patiently grow your garden 278
Slow cooked 279
Have gentle hands 280
The longest winter 281
Brewery 282
Be resilient 283
My mother’s recipe 284
While you wait 285
Walking dead 286
Conditioning 287
Write, please 288
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Bricks and mortar 289
To do list 290
Play by play 291
In style 292
Castle by the ocean 293
Brainpower 294
Overnight 295
Alarm clock 296
Flower girl 297
Definition of patience 298
One day 299
Skywatcher 300
Seed form 301
6:30 a.m. 302
Door to door 303
Home alone 304
Galileo 305
Busy Friday 306
Task setting 307
Honeybee 308
Midas touch 309
African proverb 310
Wisest man 311
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First signs of life 315
Life advice 316
Second wind 317
Believe 318
About the author 320

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Your dreams
are seeds

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Dreams always begin small.
But,
They don’t have to remain that size,
If you dream like a giant

Dream big

21
If you share your vision with the wrong soul
He/she might step on it.

Dangerous men in wait

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It takes 21 days to start a new habit.

How long change takes…

23
Don’t expect everyone to see the same thing
You see in the clouds
It takes a great deal of imagination
To envision
More

Born dreamers

24
Sometimes, diamonds are mistaken
For glass.
Remember this
When you cash out on
Your diamonds
And they stick out their hands
Asking you for some

Relatives

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She didn’t know any better. A seed. Just a little
seed. Why she was hungry today. Today she was
hungry. Today she was poor. Today she needed
shade from the burning sun. She planted all she
owned. And waited…and waited…and waited. On
the fourth day, when nothing came up out the
ground, she abandoned her opportunity, in search of
already flourishing gardens in the west. It was,
exactly three years from this very day when she
returned back to that very seed she left and saw
more fruit than she sowed. But, a gate perched high
around her dream, with a wooden sign was hung for
incoming visitors to not walk on the new owner’s
property.

Be patient even with the little things.

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It’s when she stood on a rock
She could see over the manmade fence blocking her
horizon.

Standing on tippy toes

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Everything wonderful starts small. So don’t rush a
seed into being a tree before its ready.

Watch the seasons go by

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Never give up.

I know you can do it

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Any time a good idea comes to you,
Write it down before you
Forget it.

Go buy a journal

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Coming up with an idea is the easy part.
Actually working on it
Is the part
Most people
Don’t do

It’s called procrastination

31
You are creative
You are a genius
There are adventures
Within your veins
Waiting to unfold

You are a story waiting to be discovered

32
Age has nothing to do with deciding…
Deciding to follow your passions
Deciding to put yourself out there
Deciding to do what you love
Despite what your family or friends think is
powerful.
This is your life
And you only get one life
To do the impossible
Baby, don’t you waste this opportunity

Your today starts right now

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She wasted the last four years of her life
Contemplating chasing butterflies in sharp thorns
Only if she knew that
Thorns do not kill
Thorn's scarp and tear
But they do not kill

Lies we believe

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Don’t talk yourself out of a good idea.

Self-doubt

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Why hold onto to something
You were born to share,
That’s selfish

The selfish one

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The world needs your special brand of imagination.

Imagination-Os

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You were created
To dream dreams
Into existence.

The painter

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You never know…
You never know is silently waiting to meet you
You never know can’t move on until you speak to
them
You never know is lost and anticipates your
compass
You never know will change the world the instant
you arrive
You never know, that’s why it’s so important you
go after
Your dreams because you never know whose life
you will change

You never know

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It’s not time to act small.

Time is of the essence

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She was very strong, you hear me.
So strong, and her arms could wrestle gators
Her legs hiked glaciers
She once told me she stung a bee
While slugging an oak tree
To Pittsburg
On a side errand to free women
Stranded in Philly
Trapped in a blizzard.
She politely told a newscaster
It was only breezy
The cold thought she was cold
Then she walked home
She did these wonderful things in her dreams
Never, in reality, you see.

Childhood wonder

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Your mind is full of beautiful thoughts.

Marvelous creatures

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If you are reading this book
And are contemplating
Starting (blank)
Well, why don’t you?
Doing (blank) has clearly been on your mind
For far too long.
You’ve told everybody about doing (blank),
You dream of (blank) all day,
Well, why don’t you?

Dreams to reality

43
She knew she was a sailor
And,
Her mother would dress her
In pink and white floral prints
On early Sunday mornings
To eat brunch before a lavish
Band of suited men and
Church lady hatted women.
Whenever she heard the
Ocean waves roughing the rocks
Off the coast,
She would ever so slightly swan
Her neck for just a glimpse
Before a waiter asked her
To place an order…
Rum she says

Born fishermen

44
Standing in the same place for too long
Ensures achy bones
A tired back
Sagged shoulders
And bored eyes

8 a.m. traffic

45
I couldn’t imagine being a bird that never flew….

Chicken…

46
The water isn’t that cold
Once you jump in
Of course,
Initial shock ruins the experience
In the beginning.
You’ll learn to get over it.

First day of…

47
Ideas come and go
They’ll go if you
Don’t catch them
They’ll float into another
Man/woman’s hands
Then, you’ll never get
Your ideas back

Usurper

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Standing on a ledge to possible doom
Is how doubt rots your mind
Makes you turn from ever jumping
Forward
Because doubt doesn’t want you
To realize that
You have wings.

The bird who never met the sky

49
She lived beneath sticks longer than
She should have.
That very awareness
Haunted her in her dreams.
“Why didn’t I go sooner?”
Plagued her.

Ghost of the current past

50
Feet
Are
There
To
Explore
With.

Foot physiology

51
Everyone’s opinion does not matter
In the long run.
Their opinion is not your identity.
It’s best you hear this from me.

The truth

52
She asked her father what lied behind
A mountain blocking the sun
He told her nothing
She believed him,
Agreeing to never travel
Uphill again

Easily swayed

53
Write your dreams down
So they’ll turn into goals.

The first step

54
Wishing on a star is nice and all
But taking the first step forward
Is how shooting stars
Become catchable

Get to work

55
You won’t know how strong you are
Until you start lifting weights

Weight scale

56
Where did it go? Your untamed spirit?
That oh so youthful fire?
You used to be that girl
Who went up the slide
In the wrong direction
The boy dared to eat ants on the playground
Chaser of fast cars on a bike
The I’m going to jump off the roof and see what
happens
Push me in a grocery cart and I don’t give a damn
If they kick us out
Ding dong ditch past my bedtime
I’m going to steal my mom’s car to pick you up…
Where did that outgoing spirit go?
You used to try new things?
You were never afraid of what people thought of
you
You allowed yourself to be all sides of yourself
Can she/he come out again?

Youthful spirit

57
Be the dreamer who dreamed dreams into reality

Just your imagination

58
You learn to be afraid of the dark
When someone tells you to be.
Naturally, the dark wasn’t
Your initial fear.

Pandemonium

59
You’re not as small as you think.

Rose colored lens

60
It seems like stars are too far from our hands
To ever be ours to own
It’s when you stretch out your arms and fingers
Now,
You’re a little bit closer.

Sirius

61
A ballerina should never pretend to be a
construction worker.
A construction worker shouldn’t pretend to be a
painter.
A painter shouldn’t pretend to be a doctor.
A doctor shouldn’t pretend to be a rock climber.
A rock climber shouldn’t pretend to be a restaurant
owner.
A restaurant owner shouldn’t pretend to be a
ballroom dancer.
If you’re not passionate about doing what you’re
doing,
You shouldn’t be doing it.

The greatest pretender

62
You will appreciate walking in grassy fields
If you’ve been trapped in a box all your life.

Four corners

63
Discover your purpose.

Your story begins

64
I’ve painted in shades of gray and white and black
The problem,
There are more colors than gray and white and
black.

Black and white

65
A flower loses its purpose
If no one
Ever
Takes the time
To smell
It’s life’s work.

Master designer

66
You’ll never know
What sort of flower you are
Until you plant
A piece of your soul into the ground
And watch yourself grow.

Sowing seeds

67
Whether you are 8 or 88
There is air in your lungs
Blood flowing through your heart and limbs
You’ve woken today
And tomorrow is not promised
But there is today.
Today.
Today.
Today.

Today

68
Start and
Do not quit.

First lap

69
There is time
When you make time
To take on
The things
You’ve always admired.

Time sensitive

70
This world is neither flat nor flows in one direction
There are multiple directions
To pick
Just in case you get lost
Maps are easy to purchase

Mapquest

71
Even the tiniest of us have important stories to tell.

Short stories

72
You only lose when you decide not to play.

Gear up

73
Become your wildest dream.

REM

74
You’re not dead, so you still have time.

Pocketwatch

75
Why live a life you regret living?
Why not live a life full of choices
You’ll never regret making?

Never settle for less

76
Like my father told me, “You never know, so you
might tis well make some money if you think it will
make you money.”

Why not

77
Life is full of hurts.
It will hurt if you chose to stand exactly where
you’re at for the rest of your life
And,
It will hurt failing and falling down and getting
back up once you start walking.
Pick the hurt with the biggest reward.

Pain tolerance

78
You’re so much bigger than you realize
That’s why you feel frustrated
Because where you’re at
There isn’t enough room for your roots to spread
out
And living in a confined box is slowly killing you.

Mason jar

79
I’ve lived in a box
With no lid
For all my life
It was when
I straightened
My back
And stood
That I saw
Somewhere
Else
I
Would
Rather
Be.

True mirror

80
What do you call a butterfly that doesn’t fly?
Though he was born with wings?
Scared.

Scared

81
I know
This poetry book
Hits real hard
And you’re considering
Jumping on that business idea
Everyone in your life thinks is lame.
Well,
Forget them cause Ry Reed
Believes in your lame
Business idea.

Ry Reed said

82
Jump off the ledge when you feel like you’re ready,
but don’t wait too long.

Dawdle

83
 Write
What goals do you want to begin working on?

84
 Write
This is your dream board. Write down 5 things you
want to accomplish this year. Big or small. Pick
goals you can accomplish and don’t be afraid to
stretch yourself. With the right attitude, a drop of
faith, you can do anything.

85
Write

86
PLANTING
SEEDS

87
How do you build a house?
One brick at a time
One wall at a time
One roof
One door
One window
At a time.

Architect

88
Cradle them so close to your chest
Feel their hearts beat
Living entities
Fragments of chances
Mesmerizing escapes
To portals
Creased deep within your
Conscious
Screaming out to “BE!”
Be what you’ve imagined yourself to be

Subconscious mind

89
Life is all about taking risks.
Believing in an idea and running with it.
Yeah, risks are scary,
You might lose,
But you’ll never
Know what you’re capable of
Until you give it a try.

All in

90
If an idea sticks with you
For more than three months
It’s a sign
You’re sitting on gold

Goldrush

91
Pour all that you are
Into a single aspiration.
It will grow
On its own time
Slow
Or
Fast
Depending on how patient you are.

Growing season

92
We are all born with seeds.
Dreams are seeds.

Sunflower seed

93
A wish is bubbled hope thrown to the wind, relayed
to nothing because you do not act upon it.

Wishing well

94
The first step is to soften the ground
Dig a ditch of precise size
Place life into its center
Bury
Water
Water for months to years
Patience
Then a miracle will grow.
Most people lose enthusiasm once they
Realize they must
Get dirty to receive.

Mud

95
Conquering your fears and starting are the secrets to
success.

Cookbook

96
What do you want
And,
What will you do to have it?

Life questions

97
She rose before the sun. She drank a piping hot cup
of hope and stirred a pinch of faith to sweeten the
brew to her liking. She cracked her sore back. It had
been a tiring first few days, and this was the last.
Gardening was not an art anyone in her family was
taught to love. Her kin assumed it was too risky and
looked messy. She is the first gardener in her family
and the first to witness a harvest.

New lineage

98
Think about this,
In order for a seed to become a tree
It must be buried in the dirt.
A seed has to live in a cold
Uncomfortable environment,
Sometimes, for years
Endure the weight of pushing upwards
Even though it has no idea where it’s going
But a seed knows to never give up…

The process

99
Why do we quit the minute life gets hard?

You answer

100
Burying your purpose in the ground does ensure
anything.
Watering your purpose
Will bring
You more wealth
Then you’ll know
What to do with it.

Proactive

101
Patience will be your greatest friend, and impatience
will destroy the best of you if you let impatience win.

Patience vs impatience

102
Life is hard. Waking up early is hard. Working on
your days off is hard. Staying up late is hard. Pushing
out content no one sees is hard. Being consistent is
hard. Having a good attitude is hard. Resisting
surrendering is harder. And it’s only Monday.

Monday morning

103
Raise your hands
Ball them into fists
When they swing for you
Be prepared to swing back
You’re not going anywhere.
Let them know that.

A letter to the haters

104
Bleed, but don’t let them know it hurts.

Bloody pride

105
Did you come this far to give up?
That’s not fair
Your ambitions didn’t give up on you
Your dreams didn’t find better people
To console
Your dreams stayed with you and they’ll die with
you
Until you take the plunge.
You owe your dreams at least that

Dream killer

106
It’s always when you want something more,
problems find you. The thing is, problems will
always find you because problems enjoy ruining
good days. Since problems are a part of the human
condition, this should inspire you to continue on and
not play the victim.

The human condition

107
Keep hitting the same rock until water flows from it.

Moses’s apprentice

108
Questioning whether or not you should be doing
[insert] is okay
Don’t you think other greats questioned their actions
Before they became greats
We call them greats for following through
Don’t we.

Greatness

109
Good opportunities are
Coming my way.
Money is coming my way.
Chances to invest are coming my way.
New ideas are coming my way.

Coming my way

110
You might be the only one in your family ready to
fly. That’s okay. Be a good example.

Time to leave the nest

111
In order to grow, you must be uncomfortable. When
you’re too comfortable, learning doesn’t take place.

uncomfortable

112
Every hardship is like a weight. The more hardships
you endure, the stronger you will be.

Hardships

113
She gave her mother a hug. A good hug that stole her
mother’s breath. Her mother wasn’t into saying
goodbyes. Women on her mother’s side thought
goodbyes meant “I won’t see you soon” and she
cherished that belief and passed it onto her kin. She
was ready, bags packed with things she might need:
telescope to watch the stars on lonely nights, lighter
to warm her when the cold visited, and cold would
visit, a canteen for storage and such. She packed light
and left her mother’s worries on the doorstep. She
craved to “figure it out”. In the dark, in the dreary
rain, she would figure it out and not return until her
arms were gleaming with orange gold bracelets and
pounds of powdered silver to hold “them” over for
another year. She had to. They were hungry.

Goodbye mother

114
What if I said you are a millionaire?
Would you believe me?
What if I told you it takes one idea to generate
A million dollars?
Would you believe me?
What if I said you have a lot of enact ideas
That can make you a million dollars?
Would you believe me?

Would you believe me

115
Most of us plant seeds in the ground
And dig them up
Before they become anything
Because we are frustrated
Then complain about starving…

Barren harvest

116
It’s like starving but refusing to do something about
it…
It’s like being born with a map you won’t read…
A gifted builder choosing to rent for the rest of his
life…
To own a grocery store, but expect people to give
nourishment…
When you don’t use your gifts, it’s a complete waste.

A complete waste

117
Sore wrists
And calloused skin
Says a lot about your
Character.
You’re a doer,
Not just a dreamer.

Sore wrists

118
Suffer now, reap later.

The five year plan

119
This is not going to be an easy journey. You might
get a few bruises along the way.

Journey

120
You grow when you’re uncomfortable because now
you’re fighting for foreign comforts no one in your
family has ever seen. You’ll be the first in your
family to show them how. You’ll be able to motivate
them when they take their first step into hell, and
their last step to freedom.

Foreign comforts

121
How you spend your time reflects your success
: How you manage your time determines where
you’re going to be in life and where your focus lies.
If you feel like you should be more ahead, track your
every hour and change your life schedule. You’ll be
amazed by how much time we waste doing activities
that have nothing to do with our dreams.

Let’s get serious

122
 Write
Is fear holding you back from going after your
goals?

123
 Write
Write down all your fears. Once you’re done, face
them.

124
Your dreams
did take
root, you
just can’t
see them yet

125
What’s not seen always has the greatest impact.

Greatest impact

126
A mother knows life grows within her womb
Because she can feel subtle changes
Evolving and manifesting physically, and spiritually
Too soon to hold what she’s creating,
She knows, one day, she will give birth to
something
Miraculous,
Even if the world doesn’t understand
Her incubating ambitions.

Pregnant

127
You’ve done the hard work,
Planted
Now it’s time to do the painstaking work
Waiting.

Waiting

128
I am running my own race.
I will not compare myself to others
Because I’m still developing.
Might take me longer to get there,
But I’m prepared to give it my all.

My own race

129
Stay outside during a storm long enough
You’ll be able to see when it leaves.

Weather forecaster

130
You have to work on
Your dreams every day
If you want them to come true.

I just learned this

131
Protect what little you’ve gathered
From dangerous thieves
And conniving villains
Hell bent on luring you
Away from guaranteed wins.
Thieves and villains are notorious
Judges.

Thieves and villains

.

132
Your goals must be clear, concise and come with a
deadline.

These are the rules

133
Before it was a song, it was a melody he sang to
himself, alone, in his free time.

Grammy

134
Ask a bud if he’ll allow the wind
To rob him of his destiny.
He’ll tilt away from you
And continue strengthening his grasp.

Ask him

135
It’s a lonely ride when soul and sanity have been
poured into a hole, buried from your eyes and to be
told to stand-by until something wonderful emerges.
They never tell you how long it’ll take or that
family and friends will lose faith in your conquest.
You’ll overhear them. But it will happen, months,
years from now, on a bleak Monday night. You’ll
know it’s time and see the first signs of life. It won’t
be much, a small morsel, never enough to sustain
your unstable endeavors, but it will birth a spark of
enthusiasm and childish thrill to fuel what has been
lost in winter. Be prepared to do it all again for
maybe less or maybe more.

It’s lonely

136
A little about me: The first book I ever wrote was a
complete flop. I laugh writing this. My first story
was decent, but I needed practice and more years of
experience. I was a seed, planted, watered daily,
guarded against potential threats, and unbearably a
seed. I contemplated giving up and pursuing other
ventures until Monday night, 7:47 p.m. happened.
My mother came home from work with exciting
news. A little boy, my mother’s friend’s son
purchased my book and was reading it before he
went to bed every night. My first buy! It was as if a
piece of me made contact. I remained calm,
internally exploding with joy because a small boy
was my first fan.

My story

137
Self-confidence
Is the secret
Sauce.

Secret sauce

138
Just because you can’t see it
It doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

Existence

139
You have everything you need to be successful.
You just have to find it and pull it
Out of you.

Find it

140
Your dreams didn’t die. If you’re working on your
grind, they didn’t die.

Dreams in motion

141
Faith will be your best friend.

Friends of faith

142
Planting is a lonely process
You go in alone
Away from all you know
To a dark place
You instantly regret being
You might even try
Escaping.
It’s too late
You’re in here
There is no light
Now, push
That’s all you got to do
Keep going
Push

Push

143
“Greats” had to start somewhere
They started
Where you stand right now.

Starting line

144
Hold on,
There will be turbulence.

6 a.m.

145
To start and never finish
Will crack your fragile faith
You’ll end up blaming the system
Your mother/ father for never believing in you
Time for stealing what little time you have
The weather
Finances…
It’s your fault you never reached your potential.

Your fault

146
I once knew a man who dreamed of cooling fires in
dry hills
Rescuing maidens in need
Fearless, he would be named mighty for swimming
upstream
To save a town on the verge of agony.
He still dreams.

I once knew a man

147
Yes, it might take you five years to achieve (blank)
But would you rather waste your entire life
Not doing (blank)
Especially if doing (blank) will improve your life
And a state of mind?

Five years

148
I once knew a man who used to cut hair in his
kitchen
He did so for many years
Diligently,
Saving
Resources,
Providing
Excellent service,
He
Was
Humble,
And
Patient.
He
Had
Hope.
He no longer cuts hair in his kitchen

Hair cuts

149
Let time be a good friend to you…
Time will teach you how to commit to outrageous
thoughts
Time will teach you to utilize the sun and keep the
moon company
Time will teach you not to fret because there’s more
days ahead of you
Time will teach you to schedule your days so you
don’t waste days
Time will teach you to celebrate victories, and cry
for loses
Time will teach you how important your time is

Time will

150
When I didn’t see all my hard work flourishing
I blamed the soil I planted my ideas into
There was nothing wrong with my soil
There was nothing wrong with the water I used
To feed my plans
The problem was me
I did not like the process
I did not like the labor
I did not like the pessimistic audience in my court
I did not like rejection

I’m the problem

151
Wake up early. There’s useful sunlight to borrow in
the morning.

Wake up early

152
Tears are part of the process.

Wipe tears

153
There was a girl, and she imagined a life far beyond
paint and walls and beams and yard and homes and
streets and town and city and county and state and
country to be…in worlds unlike her own. She had
shoes, tough, made with real leather. She bought
them second hand. They used to belong to women
she admired long before she knew their names or
where she wanted to go. She tied such masterful
lace knots. I swear, they were tighter than a
captain’s make. She prepared at night, packing
necessities she said she needed, but she really didn’t
need anything. She came to her door. It was a cold
day, and no one she knew followed her lead. She
was prepared to go alone since these ideas have
always driven her to be alone. She breathed, in
through her nose, out through her mouth. This was
it. As she walked on her porch, to the sidewalk, a
corner, a block, she regretted leaving her warm
house made of paint and walls and beams and yard.

Off her porch

154
If people leave you when you’re at your lowest, let
them go.
They were fickled relationships
You don’t need them right now

Let them go

155
Quite honestly, you can’t bring everyone with you
This is not their journey
They did not hear your call
They won’t respect your drive
How can they?
They’re not risking what your giving up
You have more to lose

Lone ranger

156
Failing is not rejection. Failing is when you
completely lose momentum and stop.

Define failing

157
The most important
Work
Always goes unseen
And people see what they want to see.

Behind the scenes

158
Instant gratification will be the death of you
If you allow it to be the reason
Why you get out of bed each morning.

Gratification

159
Old people aren’t lying, slow and easy does win the
race.

Grandma

160
Your idea is in the conception phase.
Alive,
It has a heartbeat,
Knows your name,
Taking shape,
Growing fast,
Enlarging each day.
Don’t rush your idea to come
Before it’s ready,
Or
Risk a miscarriage.

Miscarriage

161
 Write
Let’s pick a goal you want to accomplish this year
and write it down. Now, let’s be strategic. When do
you want to complete this goal and what steps are
needed for the goal to come into fruition? Do you
need to wake up earlier? Get a new job, save
money, hangout less? Be honest and real with
yourself.

162
Write

163
Take Root

164
It’s either you “will” do something or you “won’t”
do something. It’s that simple.

Will and won’t

165
How to get better at something:
-stick with it. Keep working on it until you’ve
mastered that skill.

Professional

166
Dig your nail deep in. Storms will come to take all
you’ve become.

Storms

167
Just breathe. I know it’s hard. I know my love. But
stay grounded. Don’t you move back a single step.

Just breathe

168
When you’re tired, remember where you came
from.
You hated being there
You were frustrated
Had no idea where you were going
Lost,
But
You swore you’d move ahead
And never bend your neck
To liken
Uncomfortable comforts.
Being too comfortable stunted you

Frustration

169
What are you willing to sacrifice in order to have
what you want?

Crossroads

170
The definition of tenacity by Ry Reed: To flip your
dirty sneakers off and run outside, despite your dad
telling you he will beat your ass for going outside.
You’re grounded like hell, but damn if you’re about
to take a lick’n before you enjoy being rebellious.
Long live the crazy outsiders!

Define tenacity

171
 Write
What’s one thing in your life you want to change?
Where you live, how much money you make, the
car you drive, your education, who you’re with?
Then, why do you want to change these things?

172
Write

173
 Write
What would make your life a little bit easier and
relieve stress?

174
 Write
Are there any areas of your life you’ve grown
complacent in?

175
 Write
What frustrates you?

176
Scarecrows
keep fear
away

177
Don’t let the darkness scare you
The most beautiful things
Shine in lightless universes

Galaxies

178
Your opinion of me is none of my business.

Let them know

179
Stare at it,
Grit your teeth
Fold your brow
Hold your ground and roar
Until they know you won’t
Back down

Battle ready

180
You didn’t come all this way to give up now, right?

Right

181
When you feel like life is getting out of control:

(just breathe)

Take it easy

182
There are three things I know about quitters:
1. Quitters quit because they chose not to fight.
2. Quitters will blame everyone under the sun
if the journey is too tiresome, which a
journey will always be.
3. Quitters enjoy failing so they have a reason
to go back to stubborn habits.

Quitters

183
Fear is thought to be a homebody protection system
To guard in case of unavoidable threats
We fabricate in our minds
That hinders what we should be
To be who we shouldn’t be.
There are too many
Doing what they shouldn’t
Be doing.

Protection system

184
If you stand a bit taller than your doubt,
You’ll see everything
Doubt was hiding from you

You’ll see

185
You can’t assume to know what’s right.
No one knows what’s right
Until right can be proven absolutely wrong

Right way

186
There’s nothing living underneath your bed,
That you didn’t imagine there…

Scary movie

187
Ask a bee if he ever considered not flying because
of what people said about him. I have a feeling, he
doesn’t care.

Mind your beesiness

188
What to do when a strongly made wall
Is placed in front of you?:

Figure out how to jump over it. Even if it takes

years. You have time.

Figure it out

189
Don’t entertain
Petty arguments with
Immature people.

Immature

190
When we take the right foot steps forward,
Bad habits tend to
Yank feet back into position.
Most stay standing in place their entire life,
Like I did…

Standstill

191
You were made for war
Back firm and straight
Hands to wield
Feet to hurry
Eyes to see
A clever mind to strategize
And yet you think
Shuffling on the sidelines
Is called being active,
Actively watching comrades
War where you were designed to fight.
He reaps all your glory,
So you watch

Made for war

192
Cry, but come back to win the next day.

The next day

193
How you perceive yourself is far more important
than how your dusty friends, timid parents, a jealous
ex, defeated teacher, cryptic social media followers
perceive you. They aren’t you. You’re you. Your
voice must be louder than there’s. Your courage
must be more steadfast. You will withstand. Listen
to your intuition. That tiny voice within you. You
were given a gift, you were given ideas, and you
have all you need to fulfill them. I know it’s hard. I
know you're tired. I know at times, you wonder why
you’re doing this, but what you’re doing houses
endless streams of possibilities only you have keys
to unlock. Tune those haters out. Listen to yourself.

Listen to yourself

194
A lesson: What you fear will eat you because
you’ve made yourself small enough to be
devoured…

Eat up

195
Sometimes,
The only person holding you back
From being bigger than life
Is yourself…

I said it

196
The person you’re running from is yourself…

I went there

197
I met a man
He loved to sing
He would sing to everything
Whether small or large
Children in the parks
Women jogging with pets
He sang to the dimming sun
Serenading loved one’s goodbye
To the sick, he sang his very best
When he was down on his luck
His songs were the most heartfelt
I asked him if he would ever sing
On a stage
To millions
So he could sing to everyone all day
He declined
Because he contently uncontenly
Rather sing for no one for the rest of his days

Contently uncontent

198
Dreamers never stop dreaming
When they realize
It’s easier to dream
Then it is to
Wake up

Bedhead

199
How many more years are you going to spend
Staring at endless possibilities?

A lifetime’s wait

200
 Write
Who do you dream of becoming?

201
 Write
What’s holding you back?

202
 Write
Who’s holding you back?

203
 Weeds in
your garden

204
Fight for everything you want
Because no one wants to give
It to you.

Pug

205
A single lie can destroy a rising city…

Atlantis

206
It’s those people
People who stop walking
And drag their feet in the mud
Because they feel that life
Has dealt too harshly with them
They wrap their arms around
The first body they can find
And tangle their limbs
Around your limbs
Until you either trip
Or
Can no longer bear their weight
Those are the kind of people
To avoid.

Those people

207
They’ll suck up everything good and kind and
optimistic about you, if you let them.

Vampires

208
Just because she’s your mother
Doesn’t mean her hindsight is better than yours
Just because he’s your father
Doesn’t mean he knows more than you
Just because he’s your best friend
Doesn’t mean his fears are yours
They can keep their opinions to themselves

To themselves

209
Bad company eventually transforms into bad habits
you weren’t born with.

Bad company

210
Don’t let people scare you out of following your
dreams.

Scaredy cat

211
Who cares what people think of you.
Their criticism never paid your bills anyway.

Light bill

212
Live to prove your doubters wrong.

Elon

213
Even Jesus had a few close friends he trusted,
And so should you.

Judas

214
Know,
Once you spot
What shouldn’t be
In your garden,
Flourishing amongst
Thriving dreams,
Endless wealth,
Securities,
Vast pleasures,
I recommend, plucking it out by the root.

Weedkiller

215
Advice: If you share something near and dear to
your heart with someone you love and adore, and
they have the audacity to build false hopes and
headful warnings because of their own lack of
accomplishments and insecurities, kindly nod, and
continue on with your day.

Continue on

216
You are allowed to construct an invisible border
around yourself,
If it means preserving your optimism.

A wall

217
Do you feel like your life is headed in the right
direction?

Write a response

218
Be careful,
Snakes like to think
They give good advice,
While secretly praying you fail
Because they’re jealous creatures.

Check for fangs

219
Don’t always expect your friends
And family to believe in your dreams.
Sometimes, your family will be your
Harshest critics.
Know that you’re onto something good,
And the right people will support you.

Support group

220
Worry about your business.

Yup

221
Unhappy people will settle and accept
Their current reality.
Happy people imagine
What their reality can be
And will do something to
Change their current
Disposition despite
Enormous obstacles.

Happy people

222
Once you understand how important your time is,
The less you’ll waste it on people who
Could care less about your growth.

Careless men

223
They won’t confess their intentions,
In the beginning,
Hide behind false teeth,
Luxury brands and imported silks,
Slick hair combs,
Ruby reds that stains lips maroon,
The image of fond kindness and servitude.
It’s only when they see you trip
He offers his hand and a room to
Rest your weary head,
Locks the doors and shuts the shutters
To constrict every bit of brimming light
Out of your youthful body.
Abuse awakens something evil from within,
Then you’re hunting for prey
To ruin
Like him.

Loverboy

224
Only hang out with lions.
They aren’t afraid of anything.

Pack life

225
Don’t let your fears control you.

Remote control

226
A very hard truth: In the beginning, very few will
care about what you’re doing.
In the end,
Because there must always be an end,
They will come around to count your gold.
The decision to recall their transgressions,
It’s up to you, my love.

A very hard truth

227
To anyone who doesn’t love
And respect you…
Peacefully let them go.

Waves goodbye

228
A woman remembers every
Hateful thing said about her
And by who.
She chooses when to
Address her haters.

Reading glasses

229
Don’t let them know you’re crumbling
That will give them an excuse to pounce
For scraps

Scavenger

230
You’ve got too much to risk hanging out with
negative souls.
Their poor attitudes will jack up your flow
And you’ll waste too much energy dealing with
Their problems of the day
They enjoy complaining about.

Mingle

231
Be your biggest fan, even if nobody shows up to
congratulate you on your tiniest successes. I might
not know you, but I’m extremely proud of all that
you’ve accomplished.

Proud mama bear

232
This is the hardest lesson I’ve learned:
People will walk over you if you give them
permission.
The minute you say no,
You take your power back.

Hercules

233
Complaining should come with a warning label.
Highly plausible
Will catch
Hindered thinking
In proximity of
Complaining spirit.
Is curable
When separated from the source
And exposed to abundant
Dosages of positivity.

Warning label

234
Who’s holding you back?

Write what you feel

235
To the cynical
Emotional drainers
Darkening your sky…
They got to go!

Be gone

236
Are bad relationships holding you back?

Write a response

237
Is unforgiveness holding you back?

Write a response

238
Is your family holding you back?

Write a response

239
Are you holding yourself back?

Write a response

240
 Write
Who hurt you? Name them…

241
 Write
Does anyone in your life believe in your dreams? If
you can’t think of anyone who believes in you, put
your name down.

242
 Write
Name every positive person in your life and why
are they adding value to you?

243
 When
droughts
come

244
Floods will try to rip all that you’ve built from you.
Cast an anchor,
Withstand the waves.

Anchor

245
You’ve hit a wall,
Now it’s time
To learn how to climb it.

Rock climber

246
It’s okay to slow down when you’re tired.
Rest,
And come back when you’re
Motivated and refreshed again.

Green tea

247
Words you should not accept:
Impossible.

Cinderella

248
It’s only hard because you want something not
everybody has.

1%

249
Focus on the end results, not how tiresome the
voyage actually is because it was never designed to
be easy.

Sealife

250
Even if no one notices how far you’ve come, you
remember.

Reminisce

251
I have a friend and one day she tells me she’s in
desperate need of a car. She came back home from
college and a car would make her life easier. So, she
woke up early and worked two jobs, one in the
morning and one at night. She hustled. She cried.
There were times she thought about giving up, but
she wouldn’t let herself quit. And every time she
neared her goal amount, tragedy struck and people
came for her like never before. Unresolved debts,
new bills, college payments, health issues, you
name it. But she never allowed herself to quit.
Today, she drives a used sedan. Not a car that
stands out on the freeway, but it does for her
because she remembers what she went through to
buy it and what life was without it.

Sedan

252
It's not how she fell that matters,
It’s how she rose that
Frightened them.

Prepare for war

253
When life suddenly gets hard and you feel like
drowning, either…

Float…
Or…
Drown…

Head above water

254
Fight to be happy
Because happiness won’t
Willingly come to you.

A strong grip

255
Don’t lose momentum.

Power mode

256
Even when you’re tired,
You’re not allowed to give up.

I don’t like Monday

257
Don’t be the woman
Everyone loves,
Because that’s a lot of upkeep.
Be the woman you love,
Because you have to
Live with yourself.

Well rounded woman

258
My biggest regret was ever thinking I couldn’t. I
thought I was too young. I thought I was too soft. I
thought I was too inexperienced. I thought I was too
damaged. I thought I was too nervous. I thought I
was too shy. I thought I was too small. I thought I
was too insignificant. I thought I was too
unapproachable. I thought I was too scared… Take
all your worries and throw them off a ledge.

I thought

259
Giving up is not an option.

You can…

260
Bad times will come. They’re inevitable to avoid.
Trust me, I’ve tried. The best thing to do when life
gives you too much to carry is to carry new weights
with a different mindset. Say…today might be bad,
but at least I have shoes on my feet and a head full
of bright ideas. My car might not be in the best
shape, but I still have a job to go to. School is
whipping my behind, but at least I like that one girl
in class. I might be temporarily broken, but I know
I’m moving in the right direction and will use this
road bump as a step to propel me to greater heights!

Road bumps

261
As the temperature drops, huddle closer to yourself
for inspiration.

Inner fire

262
To every problem, there is a solution
Waiting to be found.

Investigate

263
Whatever life throws at you
You can handle it.
You’ve got this!
You are not defeated
And you’re going to come out stronger
Because you’re strong.

Curveball

264
There’s today's failure
And tomorrows opportunities
Waiting for your arrival.

Bus stop

265
You can move mountains,
But today,
Practice moving hills.

Earth bender

266
Focus in chaos.

Concentrate

267
I may have failed,
But I have not lost the battle.
I got hit,
I learned an important lesson.
Now I’m ready to try again.

Minor scars

268
Complaining never got the job done…

Tell them

269
You find out how strong
You are when you’re broken.

Glue

270
I will do whatever it takes
To go after what I want.
I’m prepared to wake up earlier,
Go to bed later,
Invest my free time,
Work on Saturdays,
Be selfish.

I will do

271
You learn when you fail.
So don’t be too hard on yourself
When things go bad.
You’re growing.

Knobby knees

272
Tell yourself to get out of bed,
Even if you’re tired as hell
Because there’s money to be made…

Real talk

273
You only lose when you quit.

Think about it

274
 Write
What are your greatest strengths? (Brave, kind,
encouraging)

275
 Write
What life mistakes have you learned from?

276
 Write
What will you do to have what you want in life?

277
 Patiently
grow your
garden

278
The best things in life never happen overnight.
It’s a trapeze of insanity
A blend of tenacity
That brings forth
The best of you forward.

Slow cooked

279
Patiently wait for your blessing.

Have gentle hands

280
Don’t mistake this season
For regression.
What you’ve planted
Is in progress
And how fast this season lasts
Depends on your willingness
To be patient.

The longest winter

281
Making magic is slow and tedious work

Brewery

282
Resilience is another form of patience.

Be resilient

283
We love to eat cake,
But no one likes
To slave in a hot kitchen
For hours
Buy and prep ingredients
Stir and beat mixes
Butter up pans
Sit and wait by an oven
Cool for 15 minutes
Apply icing
Then serve.

My mother’s recipe

284
You’ll love and hate yourself for waiting
You’ll scream and be thankful while you wait
You’ll blame God and pray while you wait
You’ll consider leaving and recommit while you
wait
You’ll cry and encourage yourself while you wait
You’ll complain and seek solitude while you wait
You’ll be impatient and learn from your mistakes
while you wait
You’ll lose sleep and wake up early as you wait
You’ll celebrate waiting once it’s all over.

While you wait

285
Find peace of mind as you walk through the valley
of death.

Walking dead

286
If you’re wondering why life has been so hard
lately, it’s because you’ve asked life for more and
life is making sure you’re strong enough to receive
what you’ve asked for.

Conditioning

287
What do you want to accomplish this week? Write
down a small goal, please.

Write, please

288
What is a wall?
Thousands and thousands
Of individual bricks
Stacked together to
Be made taller
Then its original purpose.
What does that mean?
That every time you lay down a brick
Whether today or tomorrow or next year
It’s slowly becoming something
Bigger in the process.

Bricks and mortar

289
Your priorities are important and
It’s okay to put your needs first.

To do list

290
Outwork and out hustle
Your competition.

Play by play

291
Everything you do has to excite you. In the
beginning, no one will understand your vision, but
your creativity, drive, gifts are designed to be
praised. One day. Give the world time to catch on.

In style

292
Let your imagination be your fuel as you wait for
your castle to be built.

Castle by the ocean

293
Your most powerful skill is your ability to FOCUS.

Brainpower

294
When you focus, you can achieve anything.
Your life will change overnight.

Overnight

295
You work hard because you want to live like no one
else,
That’s why you wake up before your alarm clock.

Alarm clock

296
She is the sunflower too wild for gardens.
One root in
One root out
She chases the sun
And stress free days.

Flower girl

297
Patience
Noun

: The capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble

Suffering, without getting upset.
: the ability to remain calm, even if you’ve been
waiting forever.
Syn: perseverance, tenacity, diligence, resolution,
with purpose.

Definition of patience

298
A seed has enough confidence to know that
One day,
In the near future,
It will be taller than buildings.
Know that one day,
You’ll be just as great.

One day

299
Be brave enough to reach for stars
In wondrous
Spaces
Most aren’t courageous enough
To go
After.

Skywatcher

300
I am in seed form.
Today, I might be small,
My roots are fragile,
The slightest wind can bend me over,
But, I was born to be a mighty oak tree.
I’m taking all the time I need to sprout.

Seed form

301
Wake up with a plan.

6:30 a.m.

302
Knock on every door until someone says yes!

Door to door

303
You find out
Who you are
When no
One is
Around
To applaud
Your every
Stride.

Home alone

304
It’s when you’re alone
You’re able
To construct
Galaxies
With just a
Thought.

Galileo

305
If it’s Friday night
And you chose
To stay home
To work on your goals,
I’m proud of you.

Busy Friday

306
You win when you decide
To accomplish tasks
That will improve your life.

Task setting

307
What if bees were lazy
And gave up looking for pollen
Anytime they were discouraged?
Then,
You wouldn’t have any honey.

Honeybee

308
Everything you touch will turn to gold.

Midas touch

309
Keys to success:

Keep learning.
Keep improving.
Keep trying.

African proverb

310
Ask for more blessings than you know what to do
with.

Wisest man

311
 Write
Do you struggle with being patient?

312
 Write
What do you want to focus on this year?

313
 Write
What areas in your life do you want to see
improvement in?

314
First signs
of life

315
Be you.
People will eventually
Catch on.

Life advice

316
When everyone slows down and walks…
You: RUN LIKE HELL!

Second wind

317
She is the bravest
Woman I know
When the world
Told her no,
She proved them
Wrong
And taught
Herself how
To fly

Believe

318
 Write
Who or what do you need to let go of in order to be
the person you’ve always wanted to be?

319
 About the author

Ry Reed is a student and writer living in sunny

southern California with her large family. She’s a
talented young writer inspired to tell stories about the
world around her. Check out her latest books and
follow Reed on social media to keep up with her.

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 WHITE ORCHIDS
WHITE ORCHIDS. Copyright © 2019 by Kelli Ry
Reed. All rights reserved, including the right to
reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by
any means. For information regarding subsidiary
rights, please contact the author.
This is a work of fiction/poetry. Names, characters,
places, and incidents are either product of the
author’s imaginations or used fictitiously, and any
resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual
events or locales is coincidental.
ISBN: 9781676490364
Subjects: Poetry, Motivation
Visit author website: Ry Reed
Author’s Instagram: @ry_reedisme
YouTube: Ry Reed
Facebook: Ry Reed
Summary: Ry Reed’s WHITE ORCHIDS is written for
dreamers. Those of us who have lived with dreams and
aspirations and are ready to put thoughts into actuality. A
dream (seed) always begins small, but in time, a dream (seed)
will not stay a dream (seed). It can become something greater
than you expected if you’re patient enough to work on your
goals every day. Use this book to jot down your dreams and
focus on your priorities.

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If you’ve found this book useful, please leave a short review
on Amazon and follow me on Facebook Ry Reed poet and
author at, Instagram @ry_reedisme, or on my website ry
reed's books and email list at to stay updated on future
releases.

Thank you!

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