Talking with a friend today, I was reminded for the umpteenth time this week that we are often our own worst enemies. Seldom do we find a harsher critic, a less forgiving observer or a task-master more demanding than the one who inhabits (haunts?) our own brain. (At least, this has been my experience.)

People who know they are capable of excellence have certain expectations for themselves; when they fall short of those expectations, it’s common to engage in negative mental feedback.

Who knows where this begins? Does it originate when a child brings home a mediocre report card and mom and dad ask: “Why didn’t you get all A’s?” Or maybe it starts earlier … little Johnny or Jenny fails to gain mastery over the bike or t-ball stand. Whatever the root cause is, many of us have a habit of beating up on ourselves, often over things we’d readily overlook or cede forgiveness were it someone else’s transgression − just not for us, right?

The poem I chose for today is titled Second Thoughts. It began as a sonnet … and somehow as I developed the poem, it morphed into what I’ve dubbed a sonnet and a half. Given the title, I thought it was appropriate. It’s a poem about those would’ve − could’ve − should’ve moments we all have, and how some of those moments reside in our subconscious, reminding us of bad choices, poor performance, or any other failure years and years after such missteps should have been resolved and forgotten!

… Or maybe I’m the only one who experiences these kind of moments??