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Hand over hand

as bare skin meets stone

and the know it alls

laugh

from their places of safety

pebbles fall

as the rock face whispers

a threat of danger

but the only ones who will ever see the sun

from the top of the mountain

are those who dare to climb

hand over hand

as pain is slashed wide open

and the experts

expound on all the things they would never do

and have never done

***

It is easy to do nothing. To spend hours wallowing in the coffee shops of idle gossip and blame. But when we take responsibility. when we push out beyond our comfort zone…through the jungle of setbacks and criticism…we discover a strength that can only be gained through perseverance. We gain a character that can only be formed through struggle. Even though we have given up the warm comfort of excuses, we are rewarded with the royal robe of integrity. The sort of integrity that can only come by living out what we say we believe…and after we have gained so much, it is difficult to miss the cheap entertainment of the past…