Making a stand. Not budging and inch. Holding steady. Not giving up or giving in. Defiant. Relentless. So much tension. So much weight to hold.
Certainly, there is a time and a place for this. Making a stand for justice and equality. Holding steady with kindness and caring in the midst of struggle. Not giving up hope, no matter what. Relentless in trusting a greater something. All of it somehow, our work in the world. Sometimes it feels heavy. Never-ending.
And then there’s this other thing. To be moved by and in awe of life as it is. Right in front of you. To notice, in the very moment, the intricacy and the downright beauty of what is. Jim Palmer in Notes from (Over) the Edge says this:
Maybe today, let yourself be moved. Notice one small thing that awakens your tenderness. Let your anger sharpen your resolve against injustice. Stand gently at the edge of someone else’s pain without needing to fix them. Let sorrow and compassion run through you without resistance, as rivers carve their way through ancient stone.
Live with a heart unguarded enough to break—and wide enough to hold the world.
Grateful for tenderness
Paula
