Exploring the spine of the mountain on this day
I found an invitation to go deeper to my body, my core, my spine
where the tender and vulnerable places of being human live inside me.
Permission to say on this day
to be human for me is
to feel my own griefs and fears
to honor that my body and my time has limitations even though my heart wants to do and be all the things.
to be human on this day for me is
to feel into the collective grief of being white in a racist America.
to be human on this day for me
is to feel both afraid and hopeful about this 2020 election.
to be human on this day for me
is to touch right up against that vertebrae that weeps
for what we have done as a species to our planet,
to this sacred ground that is home to our bodies and hearts.
to be human on this day for me
is seeing the way the earth guides me through her spine
and reminds me it is possible to be with the suffering with kindness,
that it is possible to walk the spine of our experiences
and be gentle with the stories we tell ourselves when we are scared.
that we have the ability and language to say to ourselves that we are not going anywhere,
that we are here, with voice and blood and bones, showing up, not turning away.
not turning away from our pain
not turning away from our brave