Positive thought for today, for me, for you:
I've been grieving many things this year. I know I'm not unique here. Because in this instant, various people are going through the whole gamut of emotions right now. Whitman comes to mind. In the poem, Song of Myself, Whitman wrote, "Do I contradict myself?/Very well then I contradict myself,/(I am large, I contain multitudes)." See, over there, if you look closely, someone is weeping. And somewhere else, another is freaking out and then, cracking up. Humanity is what it is.
But with grief, I've noticed that there is no real pattern to the emotions, and they are many. I've had ongoing, challenging physical reactions as well. Anyway, one day last week, I was in the middle of my workday, buying a cookie at a quickie mart. Right at the register, randomly, I broke out in tears. (Now, this might not seem like a "positive thought for the day," ha, ha, I know, but wait...stay with me...)
You see, one special woman was working that day. Special, because she noticed my tears, and she began talking to me. Even though people were waiting in line, she stopped, ignored her work, and she put all of her attention and energy on me. Indeed, she had intense, strong, beautiful, almond-shaped green/brown eyes, and as we talked, I realized that she and I had experienced similar circumstances, although her story was much more challenging, and she was further along the path than me. By the way she spoke and moved, I could tell that she was strong as fuck. She paid no mind to the other customers, and she walked around the counter, hugged me, and held me for a while. We stood there -- two strangers embracing -- and she began to tear up as well.
Simply, in the middle of customers, workdays, commotion, and the like, we just stopped everything...we just held each other.
And feeling her warm arms around me, I realized that if she could press forward, I could too. And I was reminded once again that vulnerability is never a sign of weakness; rather, it brings us together, and it creates miraculous moments.
And guess what? I trooped through the rest of my day, and I felt strong as fuck, like her. Because honesty and true connection brought me right back into the moment and suddenly, God was strikingly present inside and around my small self, living and breathing between this woman and me.
When we are vulnerable and share our authentic stories of life experience, we are always in the right place at the right time. We have the power to change and save lives.
C.A. MacConnell
P.S. Good morning, R. Just a note to say I love you.
