Are you still processing last year? As I dig deeper into what really happened in 2022, I see clearly a wrecking ball. It crashed into my relationship with this body o' mine with a great big ENOUGH.
Enough pretending to feel well.
Enough pretending to be able to do it all.
Enough giving from absolutely empty.
I find myself reflecting on why we give from absolutely empty today, beloveds.
Why do we create more pain for our bodies, relationships, lives?
She gives, part II
My husband read my poem She Gives shortly after I pressed the share button on social media last week. His assessment was sweet, “I really like your words.” But moments later he followed it with this, “I hope you don’t feel that way, though.”
Ouch.
Our candid conversations always make me think a little bit harder about my life. Our life. I’m thankful for a husband and life partner that pushes me outside my comfort zone. (Even if sometimes my soul throws a fit.)
The truth is, I did feel this way. And sometimes, I still do. I feel things - life - really, really deeply. And a hard experience can take my joy and carry it to the very bottom of an almost-dry well. Does this resonate? Do big feelings about hardness and chaos and struggle and strife hit you in the heart, too?
If so, I want to offer you something. It’s just a thought.
Okay, here we go…
Maybe, they don’t have to.
What if we create healthy boundaries with the world and only let some of the wildness in?
This is what I’m personally working on right now, again, continually, and perhaps always.
Reinstating life-giving boundaries.
Do you need to do this, too?
Your boundaries are beautiful.
I love you and I’m cheering you on!
J. 🌻 @thebarefootpreacher
Psst - Need an affirmation today?
Love takes sacrifice, yes. But not to the detriment of your beautiful soul.
Feel free to share this Ouch message with a friend. We are so much better together, my friend!
New here? Reclamation is a newsletter and conversation-starter. We are a safe space for parents and caregivers to question complicated lives and also, claim & claim again supernatural peace. (I promise, it exists.)