There is a Universe Inside You by Maxine Meixner

More beautiful words that passed through my world, this time by Maxine Meixner.

Have you ever stood in front of a mirror and just watched yourself breathe? See your ribcage expand as you breathe in deep. Your belly soften as it reaches to greet the palm of your hand that rests on your stomach. The other on your chest so you can feel your heartbeat. 

And as you breathe in, you realize underneath your skin there is a collection of things that have never stopped trying to keep you alive. Even in the times when you didn't feel it. Even in the times when you didn't want it. 

Your body is persistent, patiently waiting and anticipating the moment you feel ready to breathe life in again. Isn't it crazy how the insides of your lungs look like the branches of a tree? But instead of branches of leaves, ours are of alveoli. They're little sacs inside your lungs and they help you breathe just like the trees. There is an entire living ecosystem inside you, you see. 

Nature coalesced into human form. There is electricity in your brain. Literal lightning in your thoughts. Rivers of veins mapping out your entire landscape. Your skeleton frame is like the trees in the winter. Chambers of your heart hold songs like a cave and echo its refrain again and again. 

Da-dum, da-dum, da-dum, da-dum. It's love, it's love, it's love, it's love. 

And there is a fire in your belly. And there are stars in your eyes. And there is an ocean in your tears. And you are a sun to your loved ones and a universe to yourself. So next time you stand in front of that mirror, take time to observe how you can just breathe. And know that there is an entire universe swirling underneath you. 

And if you are anything like me, time in front of the mirror might be time to critique, but I have never seen a tree that I didn't think was mighty. Or a flower I didn't think was beautiful. Or a flame I wanted to give less heat. Or a mountain range I didn't like the shape. Or a river whose flow I wanted to change. Or a star I wanted to shine less bright. Or a sea I thought was too deep. And if I have all of that inside of me, then I am enough. And if you have all of that inside of you, then how can you not be all of those things too? 

By Maxine Meixner Poet and storyteller