When the days seem dark, sweetheart,
and you feel like you are barely holding on,
remember, you’ve been here before.
The seaweed twisting around your ankles,
trying their best to pull you under.
Your mighty struggle brought you
to the point of exhaustion,
with your arms flailing, barely holding your head above water.
It was only when you stopped resisting
that you let the sea carry you, finally able to breathe.
Then you were able to see that the storm clouds had passed
and the open blue sky had been there all along.
Once again, the seaweed loosened its grip
as you floated to shore.
Dear one, storms will come and go,
but you know how to swim.
Category: Self Compassion
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Navigating Life’s Storms
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Embracing Imperfection
“Perfect is the enemy of good,” attributed to Voltaire
How did that sneaky voice slip into my head,
telling me that perfection was attainable?
Was it years of hearing, “practice makes perfect”
that stopped me in my tracks when I longed to
break out of the expected,
keeping me caged in conformity?
Could it have been apprehension
of what other people might think or say?
It was a slow journey,
fighting against self-doubt and feelings of not enough.
I walked with discomfort as I forged ahead
on this uncharted path.
Sometimes the vines of uncertainty
would wrap around me, wanting me to stay put.
Soon, they held no sway over me,
and fell to the wayside.
When I began to let go
of the noise in my head that sought to contain me,
I found a fearless voice waiting to sing,
the shining me that had been there all along. -
What If
On Living With a Chronic Condition
Sweetheart, it’s okay to stop fighting.
It’s not giving up, but coming to terms
with the reality that was not of your choice.
For if combat was an option against
a body that refuses to work the way it once did,
you would be better by now.
The stash of energy that you could draw on before
is now depleted and doesn’t recharge easily.
What if you chose to shower yourself
with kindness and compassion instead?
It wouldn’t undo the physical changes,
but, oh, how it will soothe your weary soul.
It will give you the space to breathe deeply,
What if you treat yourself like
your best friend?
How gentle you would be,
holding them in a warm loving embrace,
meeting them right where they’re at.
What if you allowed yourself to grieve
the life you once lived so easily?
It’s not a sign of weakness or surrender,
but choosing to find some serenity
on a journey that is already wearisome.
I know, sweetheart, that there are days
when it all feels too much, but what if
you took a moment, an hour, a day,
to give yourself a break from the demands in your head
and just be.
Beautiful Bittersweet Life Poems 