Drifting Through Clouds

Lao Tzu once said, “When I let go of what I am, I become who I am meant to be.”

I struggled with creativity and living wholeheartedly due to my perception of myself. Negative

thoughts and overthinking predecease my need for procrastination.

Instead of feeding the storm cloud of doubt, judgment, and uncertainty, I started eating the frog.

The first leg I have started to eat connects to basking in how I feel. Then, I release it through

ways like writing and pictures. Sometimes that creativity looks like poems, songs, or sonnets.

This reboot of my thinking replaces a stagnant mood with a positive behavior of productiveness;

this action helps combat my VOJ and negative what-if mindset.

Eating the Frog poem example:

My taintness seeps farther than what the eyes can see

For the longest time, I just wanted to be seen

Yet my actions deferred actuality

My eyes cascaded two paths onto its viewers

Forcing them to haze out the truth of past endeavors

Sadly I lost sense of reality

Letting the thoughts plague even the lightest of memories

More years have gone by without being seen

Until one day a reflection brought me down to my knees

I've always been told “Open it up and you will see”

Yet this time as I’m down on my knees

I wished that locks didn’t have keys

Because the truth between those two seas

Brought forth something I will have to cope with for eternity

By: Caterina Dutkiewicz

Year: Junior

Major: Nutrition & Dietetics

Hometown: Richfield, Ohio

Fun Fact: We have a family farm in Spain.