Iron chin, eyes fixed ahead
Everyone on the front line. If you can’t see something, do you really have a grip on it? Not knowing. What does not knowing do to you? The free wind that isn’t allowed to blow. You feel it; it hurts. How do you feel? Who am I if I’m no longer allowed to act? You want to take action. You’re ready to go, but you aren’t allowed to! You’re needed, but how high is the risk? Am I allowed to stand up for my rights? I can’t just *not* do it. It’s my profession, my duty. I have to do it. You fall, get back up, and carry on. Strong as an iron chin. Indestructible. You push through, numb to… to what? You become desensitized. You feel the pain, and you get used to it. The iron chin goes numb. The pain fades into the background. You jut your chin out. To what extent do you allow yourself to take care of *you*? The biggest challenge lies with *you*.
Jaw clenched, hands balled into fists—the fighting stance, the tunnel vision, the battle against ingrained patterns. Putting on a brave face and carrying on without pain… or so you think. What you want is suppleness, flexibility, free movement. So: unclench your hands, rotate them, and move. Dance. You can learn to be flexible and go with the flow. Your brain gets room to breathe. There is space for reflection. It is important to take care of yourself first by being physically and mentally fit. Eating healthily, sleeping, relaxing, and paying attention to your breathing. Yeah, sure—I hear that all the time. But how? By laughing—laughing a lot—and finding calm. Be still and take time to muse. Settle into a place where you can let your thoughts come and go undisturbed. Muse and write; jot down everything that’s in your head. You’ll start to see more possibilities. You gain new ideas. You sense them and let go. Contemplating new ways of thinking. Growth through attention and challenge. Turning your gaze inward. Fixing your gaze on the future. You are the future. Have faith. Look ahead.