Diary 27

THE RELICS I KEEP

So many love
notes left on the
doorstep, by the road,
in the boots your mother
wore, dancing wildly
boots ablaze
sweat and bergamot,
buckskin and lace.



LISTS FOR APRIL 2022

TOWARD:
-Aimless Adventures
-Thoughtful Speech
-Sacred Rituals
-Sensual Pleasures
-Saying no
-Live Music
-Abiding by Intuition
-Riposte
-Offline Personas
-A Money Mindset
-Seaside Luxuries

AWAY:
-Purposeless Nostalgia
-”What if”
-Permission
-Habitual Comforts
-Expecting Immediacy
-Making peace with…
-Reflexive Mode
-Fluff
-Burden Bearing
-Culinary Crutches
-Cosmic Delusion



STRONG BACK, SOFT FRONT, WILD HEART

Roshi Joan Halifax writes,

“All too often our so-called strength comes from fear, not love. Instead of having a strong back, many of us have a defended front, shielding a weak spine. In other words, we walk around brittle and defensive, trying to conceal our lack of confidence. If we strengthen our backs, metaphorically speaking, and develop a spine that’s flexible but sturdy, then we can risk having a front that’s soft and open. How can we give and accept care with a strong back, soft front, compassion, moving past fear to a place of genuine tenderness?”

It seems paradoxical to consider vulnerability alongside strength, but my experience over the last six months has confirmed that the two are inextricably connected. Here, Halifax so beautifully illustrates this relationship in her description of a strong back, and a soft front, prodding our culture’s notion of what it means to be strong. And I mean “strong” in a deeply personal, relational, and spiritual context. Her belief is that our willingness to be vulnerable with one another is the most compelling display of a person’s strength. One that not only fortifies our sense of self, but changes the way that we relate to, and love one another. It asks the question, how might our relationships, (and our sense of belonging/community), change if we showed up authentically, bravely, and honestly in our lives? This resonated with me. If we all learned to dare the wilderness of vulnerability, we might be able to relish true connection with one another. And along the way, reaffirm our own strength.