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As I began my ascent it became clear quickly that this was not going to be a novice hike which made me even more excited for the climb. During the trek, there was unstable footing, rocks, roots, loose gravel, etc. All of these things I am used to and have no problems maneuvering...but MUD, I detest mud. The fear of getting your feet wet at any point of the journey is substantial but especially in the first half of the journey. There were many points where the trail was consumed by mud and mire. The small brooks and creeks that ran parallel and perpendicular to the trail made for instances of a mossy and sludgy mess. At one point I had no choice it was fall or step in the mud. Let's just say I was cleaning my shoes that night when I got home. This leads me to one of my moments of clarity. In life there will be times when you are surrounded by "mud" and your footing may not be secure, you will have to choose whether to fall while trying not to get dirty or just step in the mud, get down in the dirt, and press on in the journey. I was reminded of the saying "God made dirt and dirt don't hurt!" Life is messy, but if you want to achieve your goals you are going to have to get a bit dirty.

"Dried Flowers," she shook her head as she stared at the dead and desiccated flowers in the vase that sat on the table in front of her. The vase itself was a testimony to her sadness. The limescale residue left behind from the evaporated water was the evidence that it had given all it could and it now remained an empty shell with nothing left but the powder of a distant memory.

m. Patience was never her strength. That she sat in anticipation for so many days in a row to receive only small moments of his time was credited with his personality, mystique, and character. She never knew quite where the interest started, but it happened over time. The little things he let slip made her want to walk down the hallway of his mind a little further. Some days the frustration of following him would get to her because he was just always just out of reach.

He took one last draw of breath.
With nostrils flared his lungs swallowed their final drops of oxygen.
He leaned back on his heels to gain the end of all his strength.
Suddenly he pushed past all the pain of his degraded dignity, his belly swelled, and he knew this was the moment of his extinguishing flame.
From the depths of his bones, he launched his neck forward. The muscles tensed. Fire began to spill through the caverns winding its way from the abdominal viscera marking and scarring the innards for one last time.

How it feels when you've lost yourself. A little journaling about the feeling of losing yourself.

Ode to my cats... not much to say except this is just a fun and silly piece about how cats can be. They always look like they've had the most exhausting day when they moved all the way from the floor to the couch...