If I leap, will I fall?

If my foot hits the pedal, will I crash?

Each step forward is like walking on a tightrope, suspended high above a chasm of uncertainty and death.

Each step backward feels equally tumultuous, but at least with backward steps comes a familiar and comfortable disappointment.

The possibility of pain holds me back, like chains wrapped around my innermost secret parts.

If I break through the chains, only to run straight into my own demise, could my body withstand such a fatal crash?

Even more painful than the thought of breaking bones is the anguish of a broken dream.

If I arrive, fully me, will I be seen?

Can I survive the look of judgment in your eye?

Can I bear the silent critique of my every move?

Can I fully dismantle the walls built to protect myself?

These walls that protect also imprison, keeping me from my wants, my longing, my desires — me.

The unknown stretches out before me

An ocean of possibilities

and maybes

and probably won'ts

and probably can'ts

but with each doubt that screams to be heard

the constant and unrelenting whisper remains — what if?

What if I will?

What if I can?

What if I'm stronger than I think I am?

What if the maybe becomes one day?

What if the fear of drowning no longer keeps me on the shore?

What if I dive in and feel the thrill of the waves, only to discover the water is where I always meant to be?

To step beyond fear and embrace the unknown,

To find the courage to be raw,

To risk the deflation of my ego, to honor my truest self,

To allow myself to plant the seed of hope,

And watch it bloom into what everyone deserves to experience:

the fulfillment of a life fully lived.

If I leap, will I fall?

If my foot hits the pedal, will I crash?

Each step forward is like walking on a tightrope, suspended high above a chasm of uncertainty and death.

Each step backward feels equally tumultuous, but at least with backward steps comes a familiar and comfortable disappointment.

The possibility of pain holds me back, like chains wrapped around my innermost secret parts.

If I break through the chains, only to run straight into my own demise, could my body withstand such a fatal crash?

Even more painful than the thought of breaking bones is the anguish of a broken dream.

If I arrive, fully me, will I be seen?

Can I survive the look of judgment in your eye?

Can I bear the silent critique of my every move?

Can I fully dismantle the walls built to protect myself?

These walls that protect also imprison, keeping me from my wants, my longing, my desires — me.

The unknown stretches out before me

An ocean of possibilities

and maybes

and probably won'ts

and probably can'ts

but with each doubt that screams to be heard

the constant and unrelenting whisper remains — what if?

What if I will?

What if I can?

What if I'm stronger than I think I am?

What if the maybe becomes one day?

What if the fear of drowning no longer keeps me on the shore?

What if I dive in and feel the thrill of the waves, only to discover the water is where I always meant to be?

To step beyond fear and embrace the unknown,

To find the courage to be raw,

To risk the deflation of my ego, to honor my truest self,

To allow myself to plant the seed of hope,

And watch it bloom into what everyone deserves to experience:

the fulfillment of a life fully lived.