Life will hit you hard in the face, wait for you to get back up just so it can kick you in the stomach. But getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.
Interpretation
Life can be harsh and challenging, but these struggles teach us to appreciate the good moments.
This quote by Sarah Kay metaphorically describes the hardships of life as brutal blows that remind us of the value of resilience and breathing freely. Although we face difficulties that can leave us feeling defeated, these experiences ultimately serve as reminders of the joys and freedoms that life has to offer. It's through overcoming adversity that we learn to cherish the positive aspects of our existence.
In practice
In a motivational speech to emphasize resilience after setbacks.
When I hear other people's stories, I like to believe that they contribute to my 'Encyclopedia of Human Experience.' The stories I hear help me expand my definition of what love is, what pain feels like, what sacrifice means, what laughter can do.
Spoken word poetry is the art of performance poetry. I tell people it involves creating poetry that doesn't just want to sit on paper, that something about it demands it be heard out loud or witnessed in person.
But in Hiroshima, some people were wiped clean away, leaving only a wristwatch or a diary page. So no matter that I have inhibitions to fill all my pockets, I keep trying, hoping that one day I'll write a poem I can be proud to let sit in a museum exhibit as the only proof I existed.
If I should have a daughter, instead of "Mom," she's going to call me "Point B," because that way she knows that no matter what happens, at least she can always find her way to me.
Not all poetry wants to be storytelling. And not all storytelling wants to be poetry. But great storytellers and great poets share something in common: They had something to say, and did.
To me, having the courage to tell your own story goes hand in hand with having the curiosity and humility to listen to others' stories.
It is only when a woman is economically empowered that she can negotiate at household level with her husband about the number of children that body of hers can have.
People spend a lifetime thinking abouthow they would really like to live. I asked my friends and no one seems to know very clearly. To me, it's very clear now. I wish my life could have been like the years when I was writing 'Love in the Time of Cholera.'
Grief is a matter of the heart and soul. Grieve your loss, allow it in, and spend time with it.
People don't like it when you compare the miracle of childbirth to writing a book, but I think there is some overlap in the two because they are both pure agony.
I hope that on my tombstone it says 'Born 1933, died 2043.' I hope that's my legacy.
Your eyes wider than distance, this life is sweeter than fiction.
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