Thanks for this. I'm on a week off from work and had packed it out with activities but realised at the last minute that I just needed to flow, and slow. The results have been a week that has, so far, led me in all kinds of soft, magical moments. And given me time to read more interesting articles on Substack! x
If so, please consider clicking the above link and liking the Notes post—leave a comment or even share within your own community. Poetry lives on in the minds of hearts of writers, it breathes on the page.
Your voice can be heard among the starry illuminations, howling at the moon.
Thank you for all this good advice, Satya! Like you, I have a "what have you accomplished today" meter that is always running, and I'm hard on myself when I simply can't power through whatever is challenging me. My determination and perseverance are also some of my best traits, so it's never simple! I'm grateful to Buddhism for teaching me ways to step back and notice what I'm doing or thinking, to try to stay in the moment rather than getting caught in spinning thoughts, and that there is always a space in which to breathe and come back to center. It's also easy to forget all those things, so reading a list like yours is very helpful, as well as giving me a sense of not being alone with these issues!
Oh Satya, there are no words to convey what this essay means to me. I cried most of the way through. Bear with me a moment. I hate to fly. I am a magnet for turbulence. Twice I’ve had stewards tell me the flight we’re on is the worst they’ve seen. So I decided to over come the fear and took an assignment as a corporate trainer to overcome my weaknesses. I threw in the towel 2 years later when the flight I was on was so bad two of the seats in front of me snapped loose and half the overhead baggage doors flew open dumping their contents on the passengers. So much for facing my fear. Now I have been a caregiver for 2 yrs as my husband faces an uncertain future. The last few months I’ve vacillated between abject failure, raging anger, hopelessness and a chronic tiredness. Your essay feels like a life vest. I will be keeping it close at hand. I am not without friends and support so why is it some days I just don’t have the patience and energy for their attempts of support. Your essay helps me understand things better and today definitely requires dark chocolate. A lot of dark chocolate. Love and light 🙏
I'm trying to learn to be more gentle with my feelings, a lifelong struggle. I do a lot of judging myself for having certain feelings. Falling into the false belief that there's a way to "control" my emotions. So I'm trying to accept my feelings more. Understand, as you said, that they're there to help me. And then, if I can, let them go.
Thanks for this. I'm on a week off from work and had packed it out with activities but realised at the last minute that I just needed to flow, and slow. The results have been a week that has, so far, led me in all kinds of soft, magical moments. And given me time to read more interesting articles on Substack! x
Fine writer and reader of Substack—we are starting a movement to get a poetry section added to the platform. Can I ask, are you with us?
https://substack.com/profile/10309929-david/note/c-15579327
If so, please consider clicking the above link and liking the Notes post—leave a comment or even share within your own community. Poetry lives on in the minds of hearts of writers, it breathes on the page.
Your voice can be heard among the starry illuminations, howling at the moon.
Thank you for your time and support.
Love and appreciation,
David
Thank you for all this good advice, Satya! Like you, I have a "what have you accomplished today" meter that is always running, and I'm hard on myself when I simply can't power through whatever is challenging me. My determination and perseverance are also some of my best traits, so it's never simple! I'm grateful to Buddhism for teaching me ways to step back and notice what I'm doing or thinking, to try to stay in the moment rather than getting caught in spinning thoughts, and that there is always a space in which to breathe and come back to center. It's also easy to forget all those things, so reading a list like yours is very helpful, as well as giving me a sense of not being alone with these issues!
Thank you, I am a work in progress and your words help me to choose.
Oh Satya, there are no words to convey what this essay means to me. I cried most of the way through. Bear with me a moment. I hate to fly. I am a magnet for turbulence. Twice I’ve had stewards tell me the flight we’re on is the worst they’ve seen. So I decided to over come the fear and took an assignment as a corporate trainer to overcome my weaknesses. I threw in the towel 2 years later when the flight I was on was so bad two of the seats in front of me snapped loose and half the overhead baggage doors flew open dumping their contents on the passengers. So much for facing my fear. Now I have been a caregiver for 2 yrs as my husband faces an uncertain future. The last few months I’ve vacillated between abject failure, raging anger, hopelessness and a chronic tiredness. Your essay feels like a life vest. I will be keeping it close at hand. I am not without friends and support so why is it some days I just don’t have the patience and energy for their attempts of support. Your essay helps me understand things better and today definitely requires dark chocolate. A lot of dark chocolate. Love and light 🙏
I'm trying to learn to be more gentle with my feelings, a lifelong struggle. I do a lot of judging myself for having certain feelings. Falling into the false belief that there's a way to "control" my emotions. So I'm trying to accept my feelings more. Understand, as you said, that they're there to help me. And then, if I can, let them go.
Thank you Satya for the invitation. This was such a lovely read and reminder to go slow and gentle. Something that I’m always working on.
Wonderful list, Satya. And miigwech for the shout-out! 💚
This reminds me of the lines from Mary Oliver’s Wild Geese :
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
I’ve always interpreted this as a go gently.
Pleased I took time out to read this before continuing with my working day. That counts as going gently, I think!