the next five years

Whenever I feel like it's all too much, and not worth it, and I don't need it, I need to keep this in mind, whispering to the dark corners of my mind, my mind,

Keep this strong. Keep this going. Keep this alive. Oh God, keep this alive.

If I feel like I'll never make enough money to do this,

Keep this strong.

When everything else needs to be paid for,

Keep this going.

When I see other paths, not as interesting, but ones that will get me work; if I walk down a road that doesn't seem like it will lead me to where I wanted to go at first; if a completely different route tempts me with less expenses and the possible promise of a warm bed every night; if the road gets cracked, filled with potholes, roadblocks, and people telling me that I don't really need this, that I can still make it in my field without this, that I can always come back to it later in life when I'm more secure, and there's still that nagging voice that tells me that my body won't be in any better condition to do it than it is now, this is the time, this is the body, this is the state of mind,

Keep this alive. Keep this alive.

Oh God, keep this alive.