I know you're in a tough spot right now.
I can see that it's hard for you,
even though you're pretty good at kicking dirt over your own rawness
and planting flowers on top.
I don't know how you do that.
But the space between us is so full of sound, so overflowing with movement,
that I can't seem to reach across it,
not with my hands or anything else.
And I worry -- do I seem unfeeling to you?
I think I'm showing you that I love you when I--
--iron your shirts, make dinner, clean up, try to help with bedtime--
But I don't always do these things with an air of selfless service.
That's mostly because:
I'm in a tornado
and the wind takes my breath away and
whips my hair across my face and
knocks me over sometimes, too.
You see that. And I know you understand.
But:
I want to give you something else.
Something softer than a crisp shirt or a cooling dinner.
Something more like:
The expansive space at the top of an inhale
The warm gap between sleeping and waking
The peaceful rhythm of new snow creaking under my boots
The rushing energy of one hundred geese flying overhead
Basically, a place to rest.
But I know I'm not that. I never have been, have I?
Not even under the influence of motherhood,
which is such a rounding, softening force.
My edges have always been sharp.
But I'm trying to evolve
And I am
so
so
honored to receive your support in my efforts.
You probably can't see any difference
yet
but I want you to know this:
If you see any softening,
it is for you.
