One word
What is yours?
The one that tries to define you

You try to shake it, to hide it
You try to outrun it, to outsmart it
But wherever you go, there it is

Single. Divorced.
Weak. Emotional.
Sick. Disabled.

Lupus. Arthritis.
Epilepsy. Autism.
Diabetes. Cancer.

Doctor’s visits. Lab draws. The cycle never ends.
Prescriptions. Refills. The bottles pile up.
Hope. Despair. I fall to my knees and pray.

An unsteady gait
An uncertain future
The once natural ebb and flow of life, now relentlessly disrupted

I mourn the life I had.
I mourn the life I had planned.
I mourn the life that will never be.

Feel less, do more.
Head down, chin up.
Always forward, never back.

Sleepless nights. Restless hours.
Questions strewn about.
I yearn for stillness. I yearn for peace.
So I can breathe. So I can listen to my body.

It needs rest. It needs time.
It needs unforced rhythms of grace.
And so I learn to rest. And I learn to suffer.
I learn to navigate this new body and mind.

Seasons pass. Medications change.
Relationships redefined. Limitations acknowledged.
A new way. A new normal.

The burden. The weight. The secret.
They slowly lighten and dissipate,
As I begin to speak freely and share openly.

Feel more, do less.
Head up, chin up.
Sometimes forward, sometimes back.

New words. True words.
Hear them. Receive them.

Grateful. Empathetic.
Caring. Kind.
Artistic. Authentic.
Significant. Beloved.