Writers block...is a thing…
But Google...is also a thing!
I’d like to thank Google for this week’s article inspiration. You are the MVP of 2016.
I’d also like to thank William Ernest Henley for being a bomb poet. You were the MVP of 1875.
If you’ve never read Henley’s poem Invictus, you must. Right now. He composed this poem just after a leg amputation from tuberculosis of the bone at age 17 (says Google). But even in the face of potential death, Henley eloquently articulated in just 16 lines his steadfast demeanor and the will-power to persevere through his pain. His work is truly brilliant. It’s always been my favorite poem.
After 14 lines of perfectly composed verse, the poem concludes with
“I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.”
Best lines ever written. If I were to get a tattoo, it would be of these lines. In pretty swirly cursive (lol Mom don’t worry, I’m not getting a tattoo). Anyway, these lines have reminded me time and time again what it means to be the pilot of my own life, but it seems to be even more applicable now as a new chapter approaches.
The transition from 2016 to 2017 will be a strange/exciting/terrifying one for many of us--this new year brings us a step closer to “adulthood”. Uneasiness and apprehension have conspicuously seeped through the pores of soon-to-be college grads as the countdown towards commencement continues. These feelings have been further amplified by incoming graduate school letters, pressure and inquiries from external parties on our job search, and our ever-changing personal lives in general.
As 2016 comes to an close, I’m preparing my “unconquerable soul” (Invictus line 4...great line) for the curve balls and challenges that come with adulting in 2017. I will not allow my confidence or ambition to falter “in the fell clutch of circumstance” and I will not be discouraged if my agenda does not transpire as planned. I need to make an agenda first anyway…
We are the masters of our fate and we are the captains of our soul, and with this responsibility comes the need to establish a steadfast demeanor and to develop the will-power to persevere through obstacles just as Henley did. After all, invictus does mean “undefeated”.
So, thank you Google for tossing me a prompt to “write about the last lines of my favorite poem” (which, obviously, led to me writing about life yet again) and thank you William Ernest Henley for being fearless and bold and for composing 16 of the most beautiful lines in all of poetry.
Time to put that unconquerable soul to the test in 2017. Bring it.
