Before you begin...

Photo by Jovana Rivkalo.

Before you begin
You will be plagued by hesitation
Drawn forward, but unable to leap

A dance of push and pull
Where your heart feels
Called to its edge
But your head —
It urges you to stay safe:

Stop
You aren’t prepared
Take more time to gather yourself
You don’t have your words
You don’t know the way
You have no idea how to begin

It’s safer here
In this limbo
Between known and unknown

Yes, an itch of discomfort
No, it’s not where you long to be
But comfortable, well-worn
And a path you’ve already tread
So many miles

Yet in time, the urge to press on
Into uncertainties and possibilities
That promise of a life
So much brighter and limitless
Than the one you have known
That urge it beckons you
— Follow me, be brave
It’s only dark because your light
Isn’t leading the way

And so
Your heart and head
Tip
Off the precipice
And your breath will catch
And your pulse will race
And you realize,
This freefall of faith
Is simply your entire self
Being shaken awake