I went to a creative writing group recently. It was a lovely change being a participant rather than the facilitator of the group. It was a different kind of engagement. Not that I don’t like leading groups, it’s just that the change did me good. I savoured the relaxed feeling of going with the flow, rather than having to hold the space. And I got some writing done too. Below is one of the pieces I wrote that day. Writing it helped me deal with a couple of incidents that were troubling me. A positive outcome and a peaceful process. A good day indeed.
“I forgot to tell myself “this too shall pass” when I found myself yet again, confused, discombobulated and overwhelmed. I forgot to take a deep breath, have a little break and just let it be. Instead, I tried to figure it out. Looking at it from different perspectives. Teasing it this way and that. And so, my confusion deepened. My temper flared and I felt worse.
I forgot to tell myself “this too shall pass” when I tried to explain, still in overwhelm, because I so longed to be understood, and yearned to make some sense of it. I did not take that much needed, deep breath. Instead I pushed on. The web I was weaving was becoming more knotted as the tirade of words came from my mouth. There was no release. There was just more ‘stuff’ to be confused about, and now there was misunderstanding too.
And so, a whole day later I finally say “this too shall pass’ and I take a deep breath and begin to accept the weight of the confusion, the agitation and misunderstanding. I gaze at the light shining through the trees. I sit, and sit, and sit, and I breathe deep and say again “this too shall pass” as a sweet tear gently slides down my cheek.”