Finding Balance: The Importance of Staying in Your Lane and Managing Emotions

Rocks balancing

In the quiet moments,

when the world spins on,

there's a whisper that says,

stay in your lane,

where the lines are painted clear,

each color a promise,

each curve a reminder,

that emotions can swell,

like tides crashing against shore,

but here we stand,

safely anchored. 

Feelings rise,

a tempest in the chest,

a silent storm brewing,

and yet,

there is a choice,

to breathe deep,

to calm the ripples,

to hold back the flood,

to tuck away the shadows,

that linger like ghosts

at the edges of memory. 

We all carry pieces of the past,

scattered like leaves in autumn,

remnants of storms weathered,

of battles fought in silence,

of nights spent counting stars,

wondering if tomorrow will be

the sunrise we hope for,

or another echo of yesterday. 

Stay in your lane, they say,

but what if my lane meanders,

curves around old wounds,

dips into dark valleys? 

What if I trip,

on the stones of remembrance,

what if the terrain is rugged,

and my heart races,

stitching together the fabric of despair

with threads of resilience? 

I think of the power of stillness,

the art of holding back,

the grace found in understanding,

that not every river needs to surge,

not every wind must howl,

sometimes, the softest sigh

holds the weight of a thousand storms. 

Keep emotions in check,

they tell me,

as I navigate this path,

each step a dance of caution,

but what if those feelings are fire,

and I am just a candle

in a tempestuous wind? 

What if I let the flames flicker,

let the warmth wash over me,

without burning too bright,

without scorching the earth below? 

It’s a balancing act,

tightrope stretched over the abyss,

with PTSD lurking below,

a shadow that whispers all the time,

"Remember me, remember the nights

when fear gripped your soul. "

But I choose to stand,

to breathe in the air of today,

to remember it’s okay

to feel the weight of sorrow,

to acknowledge the fractures,

but not let them define,

not let them dictate the pace. 

So I draw a line in the sand,

with every breath I take,

with every heartbeat,

I establish my own range,

a space where emotions can ebb,

and flow without drowning,

where the past is honored,

but does not steal the present,

where healing is a journey,

not a destination. 

Stay in your lane,

but remember, we are all weaving

this tapestry of life together,

a mosaic of joy and sorrow,

a blend of laughter and tears,

we are threads pulled taut,

and some days we unravel,

but we can gather the strands,

we can stitch new patterns,

in the warmth of understanding. 

Keep post traumatic stress in check,

but don’t lock it away,

let it sit like a stone,

in a river’s current. 

Acknowledge the ripples it creates,

the truth it carries,

and as you ride those waves,

know that there is strength in vulnerability,

in standing tall amidst the storm. 

Stay in your lane,

keep emotions in balance,

for within that space,

there is freedom,

the kind that allows us

to face the dawn anew,

to stretch our arms wide

and embrace the light,

to find our way home

amidst the tangled roads,

and in the depths of each day,

to live, to feel,

to heal.