They say it’s giving up to walk away

Life is a series of choices

To fight, run, walk, limp, and stay

The reason doesn’t matter they say

Maybe it’s a race that you decide to not quit but to finish instead

So you move forward, work through the pain, just keep looking ahead

Maybe the job pays well

So you stick it out and work through the hell

You’ve lived to seventy-five

Though the sickness has progressed

Just fight to stay alive

Relationship has been marred

You’re bruised, broken, and scarred

They say none of that matters

Who cares if you’re battered.

You’ve built a long life,

good memories, good children

Ignore the strife.

But what if every day you pray

to smile just one day.

To not feel any pain or sorrow

To live with hope for tomorrow.

What if the sickness that runs through you

Is too much pain, too much to bear

Too much to really feel like you care

What if the job that pays a meager wage

Is so much hell it makes you rage

What if running the race breaks you even more

Takes you down to the bone, makes you hit the floor

What if this fabulous life you built

riddles you with guilt

Of raising children in a world where fear abounds

Where harsh words are spoken and tears are found

Is it giving up to walk away

Or is it fighting to live another day

Is choosing to let go and just rest

A choice that for you is best

Not running through the pain

Might result in better gain

Could changing your profession

Turn out to be the greatest lesson

Could choosing to raise your children in a world full of love

In a world where blessings come down from above

A place of peace in every moment, every day

Be the perfect reason to not stay

I think today, no matter what they say

I’ll happily make the choice

To walk away