As the days get shorter, the sky gets gloomier, the air gets cooler, and our schedules get busier, it can become hard to keep moving forward with consistent energy. I know I start to lose motivation around this time of year and am always feeling like a need an extra pick-me-up. It doesn’t have to be something big or dramatic, it often is kind words from a friend or a phone call from your mom. Sometimes it’s hearing that song that puts you in a good mood, or a really good workout. And sometimes it’s a poem that you stumble across:
Sometimes hope
is the morning sun
rising bold
over troubled horizons,
the deep river in the woods
the proof of something good
a place to travel to,
“there is more ahead of you”
but then there are times
where it’s harder to find
and it’s 3 am,
your world spins,
and you’re just breathing,
you’re still breathing,
for hope is
running wild within you
after everything you’ve been through,
the wild horse in barren fields
hope is still
alive
in you
everyone’s got something to say
to tell you how to be okay
but you know there are no words
for this kind of hurt
so have courage,
beating heart
its okay to fall apart
for the grace that finds and hold you
will never be far.
you are stronger,
you are wiser
than you ever thought
you could be
you’re still breathing,
you’re still breathing
and that means everything
that means everything
when it’s 3 am
your world spins
you’re still breathing
you’re still breathing
and this
alone
is hope -MHN
I read this poem during a break between classes, extremely stressed about the week and losing confidence by the minute. I wasn’t in the right mindset to continue my day with the energy that I usually have, but the second my eyes fell upon these lines, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. This poem gave me a little bit of sunshine that I was missing. It was exactly what I needed to remind me to slow down and focus on the simple things in life that can still bring us motivation and joy, like taking the time to literally just breathe. We tend to take these things for granted and look right past them. When really they bring us back to reality and provide a perspective that will encourage us to tackle life’s stressors with a more positive attitude, which makes all the difference in the world.
I hope you can find peace within these words, as I did, or find your own form of motivation to keep you going through these gloomy days!