dearabbyleigh

from a box of gathered thoughts, i pull this card:

life is brief, even at its longest.
whatever you are going to do with your life, get at it.
all good will be attacked.
all values must be defended.
in all areas of the human existence,
what we put into this world, we get back from it.
jim rohn

photo via weheartit

i’ve a clock inside my chest,
and with this, the ticking begins.
closer still to a quarter-life crisis.
the season’s switch carries on its current
an urgency to know,
a reaching for the next,
a squint-induced ache for a life of worthy story.

am i pacing at the starting gate?
have i even begun the trek?
how far behind have i already fallen?

on the horizon, i see those who know what they want,
the world opens for them as they fall out of sight.
panic threatens to steal the few breaths remaining,
and i
must
slow
down.

breathe in.
i’ve only this day, this hour, these moments.
breathe out.
these! my own crises of body and spirit.
breathe in.
i shelf comparison’s poison for slow-rolling dreams,
breathe out.
and hit snooze on the time-bomb a’ticking.

for panic can rarely true vision attend,
be it quarter or mid-life in timing.
let the tombstone not hasten
what’s written within.
make it count,
quiet the clock,
seek your story.

***

the quote above came via snail mail from my friend kamille @ redeeming the table. she’s one of many hosts in this gathered thoughts link party; all of the prompts coming from a beautiful, honest-to-goodness conversation box over at LoveFeast Table. what dinner party conversations this little box holds!

in response to the quote, i went with my first gut feeling – which was panic! i do agree with the “life is short, go for your dreams” spirit in general, but i was more interested in the anxiety of urgency i felt upon first reading.

i’d love to know what you think!

to see more of what’s inside (there are 365 in all!) and Gathered Thoughts blogs from all over the web, click here.