I have always admired Theodore Roosevelt and his ideas, quotes and how he lived life. If you have never read his "Man in the Arena" - you should I bet most of you would feel it applies to you. I have had some time and done a bit of writing and rewrote it with my own spin using my life, I hope you enjoy it it - Mike

________________________________________

The Man in the Arena – For the Ones Who Never Back Down

It is not the critic who counts.
Not the soft-palmed man behind clean glass,
who’s never known the sting of freezing dawns
or the weight of loss buried deep in the marrow.

Not the one who talks of how it ought to be,
yet never once stood in the gale
when the stakes were bone-deep
and the cost was more than pride.

The credit belongs to the one who stepped forward—
boots worn thin,
eyes hard with knowing,
carrying years that left their mark
in scars that don’t always show in daylight.

The man who bore the weight of betrayal,
of friends who faded, of blood and kin who turned cold,
who got back up with cracked ribs and clenched teeth
and said, “Not today.”

The one who’s heard the whisper of ghosts
in long valleys and old woods,
who’s walked paths no sane man would retrace—
and still goes back,
not for glory, but because some places
mark a man forever.

The man who fought not for medals,
but because it was in his blood
to stand when others ran—
to guard what was his,
to teach by doing,
to show his sons how to aim true,
and his daughters how to hold her ground.

He’s the one who’s been knocked to his knees
by life,
by time,
by injury and heartbreak and fate,
and still found the grit to rise,
spit in the dirt, and square up again.
The one who’s bled quietly,
mourned privately,
and healed in pieces—
but healed nonetheless.

His hands have shaped wood and steel,
his eyes have tracked the truth
in hoofprints and half-told stories.

He’s seen monsters no science can name,
and felt the chill of things ancient and watching.
He knows the silence of men who’ve seen too much,
and the laughter that only comes
when death has passed by—
but missed.

In the end, whether he wins or loses,
he will not be counted
among the cold and timid souls
who knew neither victory nor defeat.
Because he was there.

He dared.
He bore the brunt of life's storms,
and answered them with fire of spirit.
He is the man in the arena—
and no one can take that from him.