The Alchemy of Kapwa

When my heart

is all in,

it doesn't mean

"no boundaries".

It doesn't mean

"free fall".

When my heart

is all in,

it means

I'm better at

listening to the limits

of what my body

can do.

Listening to the limits

of what my mind

can accommodate.

It means eating

a balanced diet.

It means getting my

steps in.

It means time with

loved ones.

It means laughing

heartily at a joke

only my best friends and I

could understand.

It means

going where

I actually want to go,

doing the work

that gives me joy

and healing.

It means, sometimes,

saying no.

Sometimes, it means

waiting until

the morning before

sending that text.

Because

life be living.

And things will come up.

Many things up

in the air.

Ultimately,

burnout

is out of the question,

I can perform

and do the work

when my heart leads.

Because,

when it leads,

calendar invites

ceases to be "obligations",

work stops being "work",

not an inconvenience

Rather,

It's just another day

of kapwa

in community.

It is

joyous alchemy

in its purest form.

📸 Toronto's Westside by @ashman.photos