I woke again with searing pain.

The night throbbing, anxiety electrifying my nerves.

Haunted dreams,

estrangement, illness, unpreparedness, a crumbling roof…

a blessed relief to be awake.

Breathe…

Not long ago, the waking hours felt as haunted as the nights,

trapped in the cage of a life of my own making.

Yet the path to new life chose me more than I chose it.

This dark and weary path has come to rest by the glistening lake,

and its promise of freedom seems to be coming near.

Will I finally run through its field of flowers?

I don’t know,

but I have finally surrendered to it,

and I will never turn back.