By Sophia Edwards-Bennett
A few days ago, I was driving to the hospital,
my mind singularly focused on my daily scheduled patients.
Then, commanding my attention, were the dreaded flashing lights of highway patrol, glaring in the rearview mirror
Much to my chagrin, I was issued my very first speeding ticket, for driving over the speed limit.
Ripe with disappointment
Reflecting upon, and dissecting that day’s events
My thoughts transitioned to a more stereotactic view of the concept ‘limit’
Limit, which denotes boundaries
Defines a finite delineation of magnitude, either beyond, above, or peripherally.
Mentally synapsing analogies, my thoughts were directed to my clinical practice of oncology
Wherein, cancer defies the body’s checkpoints
Breaching defined boundaries
Disrupting the matrix of our anatomical construct
With conscious acknowledgment of the consequential concepts of limits presented
I deliberately tasked my mind to explore beyond the analogies set forth
To entertain a broader
interpretation of ‘limits’
Through the macro-ocular lens of social constructs, unquantifiable, non-discrete limits are often imposed
By societal gantries, past and historical perspectives, by stereotypes, culture, or other unclassified misconceptions
Limits, that have been so deeply embedded in our grey matter, that even our own minds deem them impenetrable and immutable
Thus permitting a portal into the realm of perceived reality
But, the proverbial phrase “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he”
Evinces our power to psychologically usurp the limiting reigns on our minds
Resurrecting our dormant spirits; awakening our innate will within
As if in attestation
My thoughts ushered in the memory of the late Chadwick Boseman
His heroic display of strength, tenacity, will power, perseverance, indisputable commitment undeniable courage, surmounted incomprehensible limits
As he departed from this life
A potent mist of inspiration lingered
Diffused among us, yet alive
And, as he dared, so can we
To leap above, and forge beyond, our limits
Our children, their descendants, and the next, are all poised, awaiting our mindful decisions
So that they may have the courage
To surpass, surmount and soar above their limits too
