A story about starting over

Starting Again…​ Again

This morning I awoke

Slowly,

Not before the rays of sun

Lit up the horizon. 

Oh no! 

I’m late!

How could I have slept right through that alarm?

I stop.

Pause. 

Pray. 

Restart my day….

Breathing in the light,

The cool air,

The fog clinging to the trees. 

I murmur a quick “thank you”

To the powers that be

For the life 

so freely given to me. 

On my drive 

I reflect 

On the life I live today.

So many new chances, 

So many things to do,

New ways to love animals,

And even people too.

Once upon a time

I started a lonely journey

Broken hearted

Beat down

And scared. 

I had to rebuild:

My life,

My things, 

My confidence.

Learning curves…

Sharp,

Squiggly,

Treacherous at times.

Then springtime came

New birth

Regrowth

Tender shoots of new life.

The sun came up,

Golden rays…

Flooding my life again.

Old habits

Creep back in

Isolation,

My old friend, 

Comes to my mind again. 

The voices get louder,

Stronger, 

Meaner.

I fall from grace.

Avoiding 

The life that

I once built, 

that now has

become a lie.

Hopelessness 

Envelopes me

Again. 

I reach out, 

Make a call

Go to a certain place, 

Feel that hope…

A tiny seed,

Sprouting in my soul. 

The sun comes up

The dew on the grass 

Greets me anew. 

Starting over…

4-16-26

-Carrie Horn