Steady Flame

Storms don't ask
if you're already tired.

They arrive anyway.

Bills stack.
Dreams stall.
Friends disappear.
Silence grows loud enough
to convince you
that defeat is permanent.

But your mind
is a field.

Plant fear,
and you'll harvest surrender.

Plant discipline,
and even the coldest seasons
will grow something worth living for.

Get up.
Even when motivation
abandons you.

Especially then.

Hope is rarely a feeling.

More often,
it's a decision repeated
until your feet believe it.

I leaned on a strength
greater than my own
when my hands had nothing left to hold.

Some call it faith.
Some call it grace.

I simply call it
the reason
I'm still standing.

Every sunrise whispers,

"Try again."

And sometimes,
trying again
is the greatest victory
you'll ever earn.