I looked through a silver gilded mirror
And saw a beast with scowls cruel and low
I screamed and cried and shook with fear
The creature spit and slapped its foe
Shaking loose I ran for air
Light grew dimmer and dimmer still until I sat
amid the chaos.
Out of darkness and from behind, the beast did lay me flat
In vain, I cursed, and gnashed and wailed this fiend, now a hungry asp,
Finally, we stared, the asp and I, straight into the other’s heart
And soon, I felt more than a vicious grasp
Saw more than the poisonous fang and wily art
There before me, nearly thrust to hell
I knew this asp as me, and I bit before I fell.
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Application
Today I ran and, to be honest, walked 5K at the Chocolate Fest. Since it was my first 5K run, I was unsure what it what be like. Now, for many, three miles is a very easy jaunt, but for me who does not consistently run, I was nervous about how I would do. I finished, by the way, and I wasn’t the very last person. 😉
For me the challenge of the run was partly physical (breathing and my breakfast feeling like a rock in my stomach), and even more so mental. I gave myself small goals to accomplish along the course, and I had to cheer myself on when my friends and family were not there to do it.
You can keep running until that tree. Walk as fast as you can up this giant hill. What? Another hill? Really? Keep within 5ft of that grandma and her granddaughter. You can see the finish line…push yourself. These are a smattering of the thoughts I had as I ran. Truly, our bodies are capable of amazing things and our minds are no exception to this. We truly are our own worst enemy or our own best cheering section all the time. Do you ever feel this tug-of-war in your mind between right and wrong, kind or critical, determined or lazy? When do you have inner dialogue with yourself the most? I believe, as I demonstrate in the sonnet I wrote (above), that we sometimes don’t realize who the real foe is in our personal mental and physical battles…ourselves.
I hope that you are winning the battles in your mind and that you are your own best friend instead of own worst enemy!
I hope your Saturday was stellar and than Sunday is even more so!
Best,
Lucy Jo
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