as the pieces that need to simply be sad in order to heal, disintegrate gathering sludge and gunk at the bottom of our personal well of sadness, stagnant
since the surface sad overflows at times but the rest is never tended to long enough to impact what lies beneath
but, (as with anything we feel) sadness has things to say wisdom we will miss if we never let her speak
this is why i have learned (am learning--and always, i think will be) to welcome all emotions, allow them their rightful place to balance my mind as was always intended
so be sad, she is painfully uncomfortable--but safe. and is not the destroyer of hope that some of us think
because in the end there is simply no other way to heal then to support her in her work and to walk her cleansing flame
and hope is the bulb perennial always blooming once again in spring
the owner of the fashionable shop told me that wearing one necklace was unmodern, one must layer them and that to layer a necklace there needed to be not two of them but three
i listened, nodded my head and left the shop all the more determined not to do this thing because layering just two of them is enough to keep untangled isn’t it, let alone three!
so if there is something someone is telling you is the only right and respectable way, that you must follow their opinion based advice to be adequate
stop to consider the source and what they may gain or not by your acquiescence
they may be honestly trying to help (but this doesn’t automatically make them correct)
or they may simply be trying to sell you another necklace
morning rays filter through the atmosphere mixing patterns of blush and amber seasoning with saffron
that in a matter of a few minutes only transform into zephyr blue as all along the birds and cicadas sing
and i, who used to slumber through sunrise know these days that this is something worth rising early for
and that a few more moments of stolen sleep do not outweigh the soul-filling sustenance gifted by the beauty of a storm-less dawn
--intentionally filling my cup
heather pound 2024
How do you fill your wellbeing cup? Does the way you live provide that naturally or do you, like myself, tend to get caught up with the tyranny of the urgent and realise at times you are trying to push on with very little left to give? My cup is filled with moments of connection: with the beauty of the natural world, time spent with people I love, with creativity (mine or sitting with someone else’s), time spent with the Holy or sometimes just reconnecting with myself.
Do you know what fills YOUR cup? If you’re not quite sure, perhaps it’s time to be intentionally curious and foster this practice–before you find yourself empty.
photo by Lino C for Unsplash+
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you feel as if you’re sinking sand shifting under feet waters rising fast and in your eyes i see the fear
but i want to reassure you this is not the place that you were in before
and you as well are not the same
i have watched you grow and because you only see day by day you might not recognise this to be true
but from where i sit i see the picture large and you, my dear have changed
with intentional movements that became routines as small as they might up close from your perspective seem they have made a difference
and if the waters rise up high (even for a day) i know that you will float and perhaps even have strength to swim
he hears the engine of our son’s car as it arrives i hear nothing, every.single.time
i know the lyrics of songs i’ve never consciously even heard while walking through a store
and my selected music refreshes and feeds my soul like parched soil now blessed with frequent rain
he cannot hold a tune but loves tuning a motor until it sings and knows sight unseen what kind of engine drove past
(i don’t even understand how an engine works)
we are different, yes but are also the same both with our own melodies that beckon our ear
and our relationship involves choosing to value differences like these
celebrating the uniqueness of our beloved, even the things we do not understand
supporting each other’s passions not because we are naturally necessarily interested—but because we are very interested in the individual that holds them
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Our list of differences goes on and on but what makes us work is embracing each other’s uniqueness and the things we both bring to our life together that would not exist without the other!
a couple of years back storm clouds appeared and in a very short space of time unusually large quantities of water dumped from the sky, sudden
parts of the land were overcome and places that had looked the same as long as residents’ memories recalled became far too saturated
and gravity swiftly won
soil, rocks and trees slid down hills covering over roads and paths
and reminded the humans they can build and create but that nature is mightier still
sometimes people experience this too, personalities that have always appeared ‘stable’ are suddenly drenched by circumstantial storms and are weighted down, down, down until burdens prevail and damage occurs
and that person may not be ‘themselves’ for some time…
awkwardly scooping at mud, despondent frantically searching for pathways not apparent
so just assure them this is okay
that like a landscape they just need some time they will find themselves again
and if this is you please be patient because you will find yourself, too
-weathering storms is a part of life and even landslides grow flowers with time
i made the wedding late all 150 guests waiting by only realising when i began to dress myself at last
that while i brought the dresses for the bride and all the bridesmaids i neglected to bring mine
the day before this, as i sat in automatic car wash (after the rehearsal) my husband rang to say the police had called to inform that shortly before i had filled my car and just driven away stealing petrol up the road distracted
there are quite simply days like these and we might as well laugh (at least in hindsight) at those moments when minds that often support us well glitch
and things that others whose thoughts are currently flowing free might roll their eyes and mutter “well there they go again”
but, hey, my promise to you is this: if your behavior is suddenly peculiar unusual or odd I will not think of you as……less
instead i will wonder what stress, what tiredness, what thing you just might now carry that’s now producing this
Heather Pound 