The following is inspired by the women I’ve had the privilege of working with and knowing over the years.

She Maintains a Commanding Lead

She maintains a commanding lead.
I wonder if it's the certainty of purpose that drives her
or the confidence from an open mind.
Sure, she experiences set backs, even devastations at times. 
Yet her center remains.
There's an inner strength that anchors her.
Defining her power is beyond my speech.
I can only recognize it in context.
She upholds this constant without much ado,
achieving as natural as breathing.
She maintains a commanding lead.

B. Toner November 2025
 

Like many of us, I strive to improve myself. Whether it be in my diet, in my level of physical activity or even in my responses to life’s stresses. I seem to make progress, brag about how far I’ve come. Maybe a few pats on my back when no one’s looking. Then small epiphanies hit me and I recognize a return to habits that I was sure I rose above. Disappointment sets in as I settle into the comfortable routine and I find myself living in a contradiction. Sure I want to be a better me, but life is good with chocolate in my mouth, binge watching a drama or dwelling on my past successes instead of moving forward. If I was more diligent, I’d reach that goal and break the cycle. Is this cycle simply life, or is that my excuse this time around?

Fallen into Comfortable

I promised myself I wouldn't return.
To be honest, I announced it to all parties.
I should have whispered it.
I should have known better.
I should have realized I'd be coming back.
Is it still a pattern if I land in the same situation, 
But from a different route?
How is it that I'm comfortable with the routine
yet I feel guilty for falling into it?
I accept that horizons widen minimally, if at all,
in the repetition; 
That disruption is an innate reluctance, a risk even.
Contemplating change particularly in recurrence,
Spirals into the circle and so I go around and around.
Here's hoping the round trip gathers wisdom, purpose 
with each revolution.


B. Toner November 2025