Rest

A poem by Laura Ding

If the mountain seems too big today, then climb a hill instead.
If the morning brings you sadness, its okay to stay in bed.
If the day ahead seems heavy and your plans feel like a curse,
There’s no shame in rearranging; don’t make yourself feel worse.

A snail among the currants

If a shower stings like needles, and a bath feels like you’ll drown,
If you haven’t washed your hair in days, don’t throw away your crown.
A day is not a lifetime, a rest is not defeat.
Don’t think of it as failure, just a quiet, kind retreat.

Summer evening

It’s okay to take a moment from an anxious, fractured mind.
The world will not stop turning while you get realigned.
The mountain will still be there, when you want to try again.
You can climb it in your own time; just love yourself til then.

A slug rests“Within you, there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself.”

— Hermann Hesse