Wonderlust, happenstance
When does this one get her chance?

Young and eager, bright and bold,
“You’re too exuberant” the child was told

Adolescence brimming with a mind so keen
She was full of dreams still yet unseen

At times exuberance won her race.
Other times opportunities went to a prettier face.
Nonetheless still whimsical and always told,
“You can do anything you set your mind to.
Just be bold!”

Self-doubt has now begun to grow
From seeds of life that told her, “No.
Not you. Not this time. You’re not the one.
We’ve chosen someone cute – more fun.”

And this, the crossroad, we all must face
Is the next path worth trying?
Is there enough space
For a burgeoning lady with lots to tell,
And dreams so big her small heart swells?

At times success leads her every way.
Other times second best is all the sway.
Albeit rare, it does so sting
When life ignores her offering.

More guarded now, she pursues perfection.
And older, she expects some rejection
To be peppered through her lonely way.
And yet remains the hope, “Some day…”

At what point, though, did she become less bold
And believe the lies that that she’d been told:
“Not pretty enough, or smart, or fun”
Somehow those words had germane become
To leave her sense of self undone.

Her own self talk had developed quite a mouth
That moved the bar of her hopes south.
Down went her ambition and up her fear.
A change which, however gradual, continued year after year.

Until one morning she woke up and thought,
“At what point did I believe less of myself than I ought?
There’s balance, yes, and accepting oneself;
But, that’s different than storing my heart on a shelf!
I’m trying, darn it - no matter what they say –
To hold on to my dreams and cast my cares away!”

So in pursuit of joy, love, and all she held dear
She ran after life despite her fears.
Imperfect, yet trying for a life where dreams fit,
She decided life’s best when you make the most of it.

At times imperfection still got in her way.
Other times fearful patterns clouded her day.
Nonetheless, sometimes, success would find her.
And then only the depth of her dreams could bind her.

So out of the blue, or after long pursuit,
Some of her dreams became her life’s route.
Who knows what next she will become
But, it’s getting there that’s half the fun.

Though she may stumble along the way,
As long as she’s humble her heart can say,
“I’m on the path of life filled with content
For a life well lived and time well spent.”