In the event of an emergency
Please return your seats
To their full upright
And locked positions
A life vest is located
All over your body
Your tough skin will spare you
The hairs on your skin will rise
Oxygen will deploy
In the form of short breaths
Followed by incomplete gasps
A lack of all senses
Will begin momentarily
Buckle up your seatbelt
Heart is racing
Palms are sweaty
That sensation is fear
Your fight or flight responses
Have activated
And you will now go info full shock
Followed by a panic attack
Please assume the bracing position
And if you haven’t, at this time,
Turn all portable electronic devices
OFF
…
…
Hitting rock bottom
Is not for the faint of heart
When everything you’ve worked for
Everything you’ve known until then
Goes away, gets taken from underneath you
And you have to let go and leave it all
Much less at 24
The ride you were on
Depressurized, nose dove
Crashed and burned
With you inside
It’s not the end
I’ll tell you that
It’s not an end
It’s a new beginning
A new opportunity
At that age, you’ve stopped growing
Physiologically, your bones have stopped
But mentally, you’ve just begun
Your emotions run amuck
But discipline is coming—if you let it
So many people fight it
Deny it, are blind to it
But growth is a new opportunity
To get better, to learn
To adapt, to change
The only way to progress
And escape out of your cocoon
You were cruising
At an altitude of 10,000ft
Time to go commercial
Soar higher, tread farther
There’ll be less oxygen
But there is less drag
Where the air is thinner
Don’t be afraid to climb
This is the right time
By 25 you will have stopped
Dreaming, if you grow old
But your ambitions
Are just materializing
At this age, you will want to settle
Be set comfortably
Live an idle life of security
After some turbulence
Or chase at full speed
What you took off for
Your sight is not getting any better
But your foresight is just beginning
You’ll see—not just in hindsight
Your dreams in 20/20
Strat from scratch
Scrap old plans
Apply what you’ve learned
Leave behind what’s not essential
Shed your skin
Put on some wings
This time pack a ‘chute
Approach the tarmac
Remember all you’ve learned
At school, at the yard
And in the streets
Throttles up
…
…
At this time
Please make sure
Your seat backs and tray tables
Are in their full upright position
And that your seatbelt is fastened
Your life vest should be perspiring
This is normal, pulse is up
Eyes dilated, deep breaths
Now that feeling in your stomach
Is the climb—adrenaline
Keep it steady
You will find
That you will fly
At higher altitudes
With the winds
At your back