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Survival Tips for Recovering Cynics

One:
Wake up slowly.
Admit it was never that deep.
Let your first word be hmmm.
Let your second be whatever.

Two:
Stretch, but not like you mean it.
Pop one joint, then stop.
You are not an overachiever.
You’re alive. That’s enough.

Three:
Brew something hot
and unnecessarily complicated.
Call it process.
Sip. Sigh.
Spill a little on purpose.

Four:
Reintroduce yourself
to color.
Start with gray.
Work up to a muted mustard.
No pressure.

Five:
Trust nothing that smiles too easily.
Except maybe dogs.
And one cashier
who says you’re all set
like she means it.

Six:
Throw out the list you made 
of everyone who owes you.
Keep the one you made
of whom you survived—
remember who survived you.

Seven:
Don’t look for closure.
Just check your teeth for spinach
when you think you ate,
and get on with it.

Copyright © Jaymee Thomas

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Book: Reflection on the Important Things