Seen and Unseen, Echoes and Smoke

We aren't ever completely what we seem to be.
The world has far more grey than we acknowledge.

We might be misconstrued as bold because we
seem tough-as-nails.

We might appear callous because we're focused.

Others might interpret independence as disinterest.

But the people who appear to have it made--who
seem to have no trouble doing the tough stuff--
generally are just stepping into the shoes and
letting it happen.

Every single day that I get up, I feel all of the dredge
and flotsam pulling at me and tempting me, but I
make a choice as to what way I'll go and what
response I'll have. Getting up isn't easy, but I
do it. Leaving the house is agony, but I do it.
Dealing with people and all the inanities and all
the nonsense--I hate it. But I do it, and push through.

And every time it gets easier to overcome. It doesn't
disappear, but it gets easier. As I find I am more
capable than I thought I was, I recognize my strengths
and build on them. Strength, courage, ability...
they may not be innate, but that doesn't make them
inaccessible.

I am not limited to what I see myself as capable of;
I can do what I need to.

I  am not fearless;
I choose to walk through fear.

I am not invulnerable;
I choose to endure, anyway.

I am not as strong as others;
I choose not to restrict myself with that.

I am not the most accomplished;
I choose to be content within myself.

I am not understood or accepted by most;
I choose to appreciate me.

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