Tag Archives: poetic resilience

Just Heart ©️

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Good morning, Cicely.

There are some journeys we take alone. Not by choice, but by storm. Life has a funny way of rerouting the road just when you think you know the map. And suddenly, you’re not the person you thought you were going to be.

You’re not the golden boy anymore.

Not the rising star.

Not the dreamer with the straight path and the perfect arc.

You’re something else entirely.

You’re someone who went through it. And I mean really went through it.

I’ve spent time in places people whisper about—psych wards, jail cells, corners of the mind where the lights flicker and nothing makes sense. I’ve lost years to silence, confusion, and pain. I’ve watched dreams get shattered like glass on stone, and had to pick up the pieces with shaking hands.

There were nights no one called. Days no one knew where I was. Times even I didn’t know who I was.

And still… somehow… I’m here.

My family didn’t always understand. How could they? Mental illness doesn’t come with instructions. It doesn’t wear a name tag. It doesn’t sit politely in the corner. But even in the dark, they loved me. Fiercely. Imperfectly. Consistently. And I owe them everything.

There was a love once—a young one. One of those first-flame, heart-open, foolish-and-forever kind of things. I let it slip away. Maybe I ran. Maybe I wasn’t ready. Maybe I didn’t believe I deserved it. And I’ve never found that kind of depth again. That’s a ghost I carry. Not with bitterness, just with a quiet what if.

I never had children. And maybe I never will. That used to haunt me. But lately… I’ve started to see things differently.

Because while I may not be a father, I’ve become something else. Something I never thought I could be.

I’ve become me.

Not the broken version.

Not the could’ve-been.

Just me.

Someone I trust.

Someone I’m proud to carry through this world.

This is Chris in the Morning—KBHR 570 AM—and if you’re listening, and you’ve been through the long night… just know there’s still morning. There’s still music. There’s still time.

And sometimes, surviving becomes your greatest work.

What’s Your Name? ©️

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Alright, alright, alright…

Now listen here, life ain’t just a straight road with mile markers and clean rest stops. No sir. It’s a winding, dusty trail, sometimes uphill, sometimes in reverse, and every now and then you hit a stretch where the only thing you can hear is your own breathing and the rustle of fate in the trees. And that’s where the truth lives, my friends—in the quiet, in the waiting, in the decision to keep walking when every part of you says turn back. But you don’t. You press on. Why? Because the trail might be tough, but you—you’re tougher.

See, the thing about success is, it ain’t loud. It don’t show up with fanfare and fireworks. Success is sneaky. It whispers. It taps you on the shoulder after you’ve done the work, after you’ve shown up day after day, after you’ve failed and kept going anyway. And when it finally shows up, you realize it wasn’t about the destination at all. It was about the rhythm of the grind, the grace in the grit, and the style in how you took every punch.

Now I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: you gotta know who you are. Not who they say you are, not who you’re afraid to be, but the you behind the curtain, behind the cool. And when you find that guy—when you stare him down in the mirror and say, “Alright, partner, let’s ride”—well, that’s when life starts dancing with you instead of against you.

So whatever you’re chasing—chase it with soul. Don’t sprint unless it’s worth sweating for. Don’t speak unless you mean it. And when you win—and you will win—don’t forget to tip your hat to the sun, thank the road for its curves, and keep driving. Because the journey? That’s the good stuff. And that’s how you stay golden.