These Are My JOTtings, Part #2

When You Hit the Wall

When Life is going quite good it seems,
and then you "hit the wall,"
the words can flow out by the reams,
and your face can land the fall.

It's just like running a marathon.
I've done that. I should know.
The first few miles, your heart is ON,
but then things start to slow.

"I need some water and some food.
I can't take much more of this."
"Dear Heart, you're tired, and sounding rude.
We are not running for bliss."

The mind takes over to finish the race
as the body and heart fatigue
demand we stop, commitment erased,
creating their own bush league.

It's a good thing, too, for mile 20 it seems
is the marathon's wall of great shame.
It comes sooner or later or whenever it deems
is the best time your feat to defame.

The runner is trained to run through this tough wall
with the mind always charging ahead.
The mind must refuel before the body can fall
to convince it of the victory, it read.

The mind's the adult, that must carry the race
or the child of the body will fail.
Every step of the run must know what it's traced
to finish the marathon's tale.

Often, Life is like that. We run into the wall
as the weary old body says, "ENOUGH!"
The mind has to counsel the child with it's call,
"Feel better do you, now? Life is tough."

"The wall nearly broke you, but now we'll go through.
When we finish the race, there'll be time
to heal every hurt, every wound, pay each due,
until victory will feel quite sublime."

But what now of our friends? We must teach this great truth
when it seems that insanity took hold.
The words we must say is that "fighting from youth
through this wall makes us weak, and then bold."

by Jay O’Toole
on September 22nd, 2025