Lessons Learned

My life has been a furnace, stoked with effort, sweat, and grind,

A dumpster fire burning bright, consuming heart and mind.

From childhood’s dawn I chased a dream with daylight’s final gleam,

Twelve hours swinging bat and ball in fields that felt like steam.

I prayed that leather’s crack would carve my name into the game,

But tryouts came, the roster filled—my spark outpaced by flame.

No pro-league lights would shine for me, no stadiums would roar,

Just lessons from the diamond’s dust about what drive is for.

Then graduate school demanded more; I answered with a roar,

Eighteen cups of coffee brewed to fuel the days I wore.

My pulse would race, my thoughts would spin, yet still I carried on,

Until an ulcer’s burning sting proved something more profound.

But still I pushed, still chased the peak, refusing to give in—

And earned a degree, while scars still smoldered deep within.

A career soon followed suit, my passport stamped with a flight,

I traded time with those I loved for goals kept out of sight.

Late nights in distant hotel rooms, phone calls thin and strained,

A family sacrificed so dreams could be sustained.

Retirement whispered promises of slower, and calmer days,

But firebrands don’t cool efficiently; they cling to old-burned ways.

So here I am, not slowing down, consulting for long hours,

Still forging steel from sparks and stress, still feeding unseen powers.

Yet something in me wonders when the blaze will finally cease,

When roses bloom at my feet, they might offer me their peace.

I’m trying hard to shift my course, to breathe and not ignite,

To trade the furnace for a steady, softer, guiding light.

Though habit clings like soot on skin, I’m wiping at the stain,

Not giving up on gentler ways or breaking free from strain.

I’m longing for a gentler path where I can be.

To breathe without the furnace heat that always follows me.

I hope for clarity and grace to set my spirit free—

When will I learn before the fire destroys me?