Thursday, March 20, 2014

Healthy State of Mind


i went on a run today.
that seems normal, but for me, it was a feat.
but it was needed.
with my state of health right now, it was definitely
a necessity.

i was afraid of not being able to make it past a mile.
i was afraid that my lungs would tighten and my head would feel light,
a little too light to make any sense of anything.
but when my feet hit the pavement, and i started working my legs,
it felt like i'd been doing this a while now,
not just starting today, the first time this year.

all i could think about was the sound of my steps,
the constant stomp of my feet that was even louder than the screaming music in my ears.
i made sure to concentrate on breathing.
one. inhale through the nose.
two. exhale through the lips.
one.
two.
one.
two.
it went well with my heartbeat and stood tall against the pain in my sides.
all i paid attention to was the rhythm of my lungs, music, and feet.

i definitely needed a run.

i'm beginning to believe that this toothpick standing in my mirror,
isn't just small in appearance.
i feel boxed in.
shoved away on a shelf like a book that was only read once.
or a toy that the child was growing too old for.
that's how i feel against my own mind sometimes.
that i'm growing tired of myself.
and maybe that's why i keep changing.

but the running helps.
the fact that i'm improving my body,
distracts me from the fact that i haven't been improving my mind.

but reading helps.
studying helps.
feeling like i'm using my time to my advantage helps.
i've had too much down-time lately.
many people would give me a face just for reading that line.
but i can't sit still.
i can't be still because i can't be alone with me.
not when there's so much more of me i can be.

i went on a run today.
and dammit, it felt good.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Too Many Voices, Too Many Thoughts


Sometimes I feel like I'm spreading myself too thin.
I'm still recovering from a 3 week illness.
Going from one virus to another,
I feel I'm not just infecting myself, but the others around me.

College, as I was told, are the "best years of my life".
Carefree and full of life.
Sometimes I feel that way,
but then I feel like I'm stuck in a cage.
I'm being fed and being cared for,
but my legs are cramped and my body's sore.
I just want to get out and run, feel the air twist and turn, and just
be alive.

I want to feel like what I'm doing is making a difference.
And I'm beginning to feel that these changes,
are ones that I don't want to accept.
I want to mold them into my own sculpture.
Not somebody else's that I was meant to copy.
Everyone has their own masterpiece.

I have no clue what my masterpiece is.
And I've been searching, but no luck thus far.
But maybe that's not the point.
Maybe it's okay to just sit back, relax, and let the river run it's course.
Well, I've been known to make the ride rocky,
but maybe it's good to let the ship sail instead of sink.
(We all know who won the battle between the Titanic and the Ice-burg).
I don't want to be the Ice-burg.

Like Ben Howard says,
Keep your Head Up
Keep your Heart Strong

My head's feeling heavy, but I'll look straight ahead.
My heart's had some tears, but I'm patching up the seams.

The storm is calming down.
Although the sea is peaceful and my ship is still standing,
I just really need to find some peace of mind.