The Price of Resilience (Poem)

You know you are strong

You believe you can handle it

Like a spiritual warrior

You say - Bring it on

And as it keeps coming

You fight with all your might

Refusing to give up

In the face of any adversity

You get knocked down

But you pick yourself back up

You push past the pain

And do what needs to be done

Whatever it takes

You get bruised and battered

You move forward anyway

Carrying invisible battle scars

But what if you start feeling

Exhausted beyond words

What if your pain

Starts turning into numbness

What if the glory starts to fade

What if instead of finding your way

You start losing yourself

What if the voices in your head

Become too loud to ignore

Or the silence becomes deafening

What if you feel like screaming

But you find that you have no voice

And you start to wonder

If you are a ticking time bomb

Just waiting to explode

At an unknown time

It occurs to you that you are

Paying the price of resilience

Your strength comes at a cost

Which you pay with

Every fibre of your being

And you take every blow

While you already know

That it doesn't hurt any less

Just because you are strong

But life isn't meant to be a war

It's meant to be a gift

So every now and then

Pause and step back

And replenish your reserves

Of love, strength and courage

Slow down, take it easy,

Give yourself grace

Allow yourself to just "be"

Create moments of wonder

Cultivate love and joy

Nourish your soul

Indulge a little

Smell the roses

Bask in the sun

Let someone share your burden

And take care of you

Because while you fight

Like a valiant soldier

You must also remember

It's not just about surviving

It's also about healing and thriving

And giving yourself the chance

To experience and savour this

Beautiful journey of life...