Cage of My Own Construction

One morning as I awoke I opened my eyes wide. I was suddenly able to see something quite shocking and much to my surprise. For when I opened my eyes I was able to find, I was trapped; within a little birdcage I was confined. I sat up slowly and looked around. My world suddenly seemed to drain of sound.  Sitting on my bed I observed all that I could see. This birdcage of mine was not empty. I saw my computer, phone, and books, which filled me with contentment until I realized… they were creating an illusion of freedom, a mirage built of lies. It appeared that a few people possessed the key, but they couldn't set me free. All they could do was come inside the cage to visit me. Outside, people smiled at me as they passed by as if nothing had changed. Some of them even appeared to be blind to their own chains.
I stood up and began to walk. Three paces I took before I had to stop. I had reached one of the bars which was as thick as my forearm. Curious, I touched it and instantly became filled with alarm. The bar was not made of metal as I had initially assumed. It was something far more terrifying and I felt utterly doomed. I touched the next bar, just to make sure. But it was the same as the last, all of them were. As I touched each bar I was shown a sight. With each one I was filled with increasing dismay and fright. One showed me my unfinished book, another the blank pages of my workout log. I saw myself without a degree, and another showed me never getting a job.
These were not just my fears I was seeing; they were my fate. I beheld what would become of me if I continued on at this rate. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was true. Consumed by hopelessness I didn’t know what to do. I was standing inside a cage of my own construction. Within my mind I had created my own destruction. These bars were all the limitations that I had set. My sloth and my apathy were a constricting net. Hot tears began to stream down my face. How was I ever going to get out of this place?
Clutching my sides I slowly fell to the floor. Amidst my sobs I became aware of someone coming through the door. I lifted my head to see my brother coming in, and Daniel was there too. They helped me to my feet and I could tell that they knew. No one but me would be able to orchestrate my release. But they could still provide me with encouragement and love, which gave me peace. Daniel would help me to overcome the things I fear. My brother whispered words of advice into my ear. “The world is at your fingertips,” he said. I felt a dawning of hope as those words filled my head. My fate was not sealed; my future wasn’t set in stone. I decided it was time to stand, seize the day and make it my own.
I’m still living in my birdcage, but I’m tearing down the bars one by one. I’ve resolved to continue working, no matter how hard it gets, until the day when at last there are none. On that day I will stand tall, fresh and new. I’ll stretch my wings and fly into the blue. The rubble of my cage will be left far behind. I will soar up high, never again to be confined.