In the gym, articulating my shoulders and my mind, I stop and read my Spotify — “You Made It (Part II), Weval”.

Fuck, this is it. This was my actual “wrapped” for the years past.

The sonic wrap to a journeyed set of wide-ranging experiences — all thawing, percolating, and bursting with emotion - and to add, all with the gravity to throw you sideways, or lift you to new heights.

“You made it”, emphasis on the “Part II” — because 2023 wasn’t the only culprit.

[You…you……….you…you….]

Relationships unravel.

Disenchanted wastelands remain.

Shoulders sag forward, the head bows, and shallow, fast, weighted breathing gets you by.

[Breathe]

[Breathe]

[Breathe…]

Urgent choices and finite resources of all measure are presented to a shell.

Care is abstained and all but gone.

The internal love engine stalls to a crippling halt.

Crushing anxiety pummels relentlessly - choking at the throat, asking you to address the unaddressed.

[You Made It.]

[…You… You….]

Have I? Surrendering… Surrendering…. Surrendering... still surrendering…have I made it?

[You Made It.]

[…You…]

You comfort yourself with a peaceful hum that is seemingly coming from nowhere - but believe it or not, this is also you.

Grief and sadness are right there, but it’s “ok” too. Space exists for all of it, all at once. This is new….

The internal drumbeat begins to embolden, because fertility follows futility.

You are enough, and enough is enough!

Burns of cosmic fire draw in through the feet - radiating out from shoulder to shoulder. The chest lifts.

[You Made It.]

Something else becomes available, for the well is not without. The jaw softens and the teeth feel smooth like velvet; the head draws upwards.

The spoken words develop more resonance.

Like a boundary emitting forcefield, Anger rises up out of the murk to protect you in the darkness.

One hand facing out, one hand facing in - healing, circulating, pulsating - you step towards the light.

The diaphragm drops down, loosens and makes room for creative leaps long missed in the mind.

Joy and play are here again.

[You Made It.]

Murmurs and shadows take a second stab, but reserves of present-day self accept their presence with steadiness.

Courage and bravery emerge from the hole - pointing towards the chosen manifestation and making it so.

[You Made It.]

You caught yourself, but the community carried you to higher ground. Oh fam... your exemplary examples of life now permeate the fibres of my being.

With a defiant act of triumph, the love engine jumps back to life…for I am what it emits.

Deep cries flush the system — and renew.

Poorly chosen words of the past cut carelessly, but today’s choices create clarity, deeper meaning, and action.

The healing is now taking momentum.

Without rush, yet with the tenderness of time, emotions become fuller and more nuanced, the articulation spectrum expands.

The words no longer sit trapped.

There’s buoyancy.

There’s Hope.

Levity and listening eyes return, casting a warm welcoming gaze.

What does this newly rekindled power evoke?

A courage to not run nor hide, gifted with an innate knowledge that the antidote lies in being seen.

—

Oh my god I can feel my heart again.

—