We talk about hustle like it’s heroic. But sometimes, the body has other plans. This poem is part of a series exploring the emotional chemistry of midlife changes, especially unexpected and unwelcome ones — where ambition meets biology, and healing begins with honesty.
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Cortisol – the thief of joy
My ambition has waned
No longer strive for riches of the wallet
Only riches of life —
A quiet morning, a laugh, a breath – coffee
And cortisol
Threatens to take it all away
Withdrawing into a ball
I can feel my brain shrinking — almost see it
As surely as my body curls into a baby’s comfort
Protecting what it deems important:
the heart, the soul, the center
Forgetting
the control of all comes from the top
