i enjoy quiet times
being alone
with my thoughts
my plans
and my dreams

my mind wanders
to places i have been
and places i want to go
and i reflect upon
the person
i am leaving behind
as i journey to health
as i walk to fitness
as i change
so much of the person
i used to know

i think about
the pieces
i want to keep
the pieces of me
that aren't changing
and won't disappear
with the weight
i am tossing
to the street
where it belongs

i will remain
generous
with my kindness
and my heart
i will remain
thoughtful
with my manner
and my speak
i will stay
prudent
in my judgement
of people,
places and objects
of desire
making sure i give back
as much as i take
because i will take
as much as i can
from life

in the halcyon hours
i pause to celebrate
the little changes
i already feel
and already see
in the world
around me
in the days
as they pass
i am comfortable
again
with who i am
on the outside
for the longest time
i wasn't
i can admit that now
i don't think i did before

i am anxious
to some degree
about the future
and what it holds
for a person
newly healthy
feeling empowered
headed to that place
i never thought i'd be
but i will be
i can feel it
all around me
and others feel it too
because they see
me, perhaps
for the first time
and it's
someone i am not
afraid to be

in the silence of
my solitude
i reflect upon
my worthiness
where once
i felt unworthy
i taste victory
where once
i felt doomed
to failure and regrets
because i
thought
i would never
find my way back
to the road not taken
but here i am
and i know
where i am now
and I am so sure
of every step
i take
along the way

in the quiet
of my solitude
i feel the breeze
of contentment
now, as it softly
reminds me
to take pride
in how far i have come
and
how strong i've become
i feel the power of
my commitment
as i replace i can'ts
with i cans and i wills
and i am
more certain
than ever before
that my life
will never be the same
and so
i am finally
at peace
in my quiet