Verbs

I’d rather be writing poetry.

I’d rather be stringing together far too many flowery adjectives in the hope that I could capture just a slice of the beauty that I see every day.

I’d rather be writing for fun.

But now is not the time.

It is not the time for adjectives.

Now is the time for verbs.

Verbs like feeling, facing, grounding, centering, forgiving, loving, and fighting.

Now is the time for nouns like courage, strength, and resilience.

And so here I am, inking love on paper as I always have aspired to do, but in a more direct kind of way.

Because the time for subtleties has passed.

And speaking love directly sounds a bit like this:

Make time to feel.

Every single day.

Face the anger. The pain. The fear.

Look them in the eye until they each yield. Stay with them until you find stillness again.

Remember that the world is made up of all the same stuff it always has been.

It’s just organized in a different way.

So love it as fiercely as you ever have.

Remember that your neighbors are not the echoes in this digital matrix. They are flesh and blood, beating hearts who are looking for love and connection and wanting to be seen and heard.

Be the change.

Feel your feet on the earth. Hear the birds singing. Hold the door. Let someone in at the traffic jam. Offer that hug. Give that gift.

Be honest. Be aware. But be steady and remember that the only real battle is the one we each must face within ourselves, and you cannot fight someone else’s shadow.

But you can be a light.

Great change doesn’t necessarily require great acts. Sometimes the biggest thing we can do is be consistent. Stable. Resilient. Committed.

Sometimes the light might feel like the flicker of a single candle in the dead of night.

But one candle can light a thousand.

I love you.

~ Cristen Writes