Speak Now.

Whether you are a T. Swift fan or not, I encourage you not to see this picture and skip today's post; but to keep reading.

Taylor Swift's new album came out this fall, and on "Black Friday" I bought it. It was an impulse buy because I am not really a "cd" girl (more radio). But I love most of her songs and when one of my besties mentioned two of our other close friends haven't taken it out of their cars for weeks. I knew it must be good. What I didn't expect was that while getting my sonic happy hour in, and opening the cd; I'd be taken by the prologue. No matter what age you are, guarantee it will speak to you. She is one phenomenal writer.

"'Speak now or forever hold your peace,' the words said by preachers at the end of wedding ceremonies all over the world, right before the vows. It's a last chance for protest, a moment that makes every one's heart race, and a moment I've always been strangely fascinated by. So many fantasize about bursting into a church, saying what they'd kept inside for years like in the movies. In real life, it rarely happens.

Real life is a funny thing, you know. In real life, saying the right thing at the right moment is beyond crucial. So crucial, in fact, that most of us start to hesitate, for fear of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. But lately what I've begun to fear more than that is letting the moment pass without saying anything.

I think most of us fear reaching the end of our life, and looking back regretting the moments we didn't speak up. When we didn't say 'I love you.' When we should've said 'I'm Sorry.' When we didn't stand up for ourselves or someone who needed help.

These songs are made up of words I didn't say when the moment was right in front of me. These songs are open letters. Each is written with a specific person in mind, telling them what I meant to tell them in person. To the beautiful boy whose heart I broke in December. To my first love who I never thought would be my first heartbreak. To my band. To a mean man I used to be afraid of. To someone who made my world dark for a while. To a girl who stole something of mine. To someone I forgive for what he said in front of the whole world.

Words can break someone into a million pieces, but they can also put them back together. I hope you use yours for good, because the only words you'll regret more than the ones left unsaid are the ones you use to intentionally hurt someone.

What you say might be too much for some people. Maybe it will come out all wrong, and you'll stutter and you'll walk away embarrassed, wincing as you play it all back in your head. But I think the words you stop yourself from saying are the ones that will haunt you the longest.

So say it to them. Or say it to yourself in the mirror. Say it in a letter you'll never send or in a book millions might read someday. I think you deserve to look back on your life without a chorus of resounding voices saying 'I could've, but it's too late now.'

There is a time for silence. There is a time waiting your turn. But if you know how you feel, and you so clearly know what you need to say, you'll know it.

I don't think you should wait. I think you should speak now. Love, Taylor

PS: To all the boys who inspired this album, you should've known. ;)"

{You can read it on the inside cover of the cd or here. )

Why it struck me, the way that it did, who knows? I think it is a fascinating concept to think about what would happen if some people said what they held inside. Would it change any thing, complicate things, or keep them the same. I am a "quote" girl and that is probably why I enjoyed this so much. Some of you may be wondering if I could "Speak Now" what I would say- but it also goes with one of my number one rules of life: have no regrets. I can say I don't regret anything I have done or said, because it is how I felt at the time. Doesn't mean I've never been embarrassed by something I've said or that I realized after the fact; I shouldn't have said something but speaking now, in the "right now" of December 13, 110% who I am, I would say:

"Love like you've never been hurt. Believe there is a plan for you. A smile can change your attitude, outlook, and day. Respect others. Be happy for your friends, family and enemies. Spoil yourself. Pray for others. Love yourself. Have faith. Trust in the Lord. Everything happens for a reason. Some of the greatest accomplishments in life are when you look back on something that devastated you at the time and realize it is the motivation that led you to conquer all. Conquer the world, and don't give up till you do. Have dreams. Put your dreams to reality. Eat mac-n-cheese and chicken nuggets if it is the only way you can do what you love (or if you just love it anyways.) Country music is God's gift to the south. Give back and don't for a second take for granted the blessings that you have or the roof over your head. Be thankful, gracious, kind, sincere, and love/treat everyone as if they were your best friends. Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game; whatever the game in your life may be. Realize if you don't stand up for yourself, at the end of the day, who will? Focus on the truth. Smile. Wave. Enjoy life to the fullest no matter what is going on in your life. Remember everyone has a story and you never know what the person standing next to you as gone through. So go with the flow, don't be uptight, relax; And most importantly, give the world a gift, and be a friend."