By Pam Kumpe
I get caught up in things that weigh me down. I'm not talking about the kind of chains used to pull a car from the mud or a four-wheeler from a ditch. The chains that hold me down are the invisible ones linked around my neck and my heart.
My chains consume precious energy and cloud my thoughts. The links flow into my veins, move to my arteries, and clog my heart. When this happens, I can barely breathe. And yes, invisible chains hurt as if they’re real.
They keep me bound to the yuck, glued to doubt and worry. I get trapped in the murkiness of those thoughts, unable to rid them from my mind. I lug them around in my invisible wheelbarrow.
Now you can't see the chains and you can't hear them clanking, either. You don't even know I'm gasping for air on certain days, and you have no idea what’s causing me to bleed with sadness. But I’ll tell you, I get stuck! I'm like caked mud!