Gentle

Gentle

We are so harsh on ourselves

And each other

About the way we live our lives.

What if (and hear me out)

We were all more gentle?

Sure, people have started

To say this more in recent years.

But what are they doing

To actually make it happen?

Here are some ideas:

On the days we are in physical pain,

may we be kind to our bodies.

On the days we are in emotional pain,

May we hug our feelings a little tighter.

On the days we are in mental anguish,

May we have something to eat anyway,

Even if the food tastes like lead.

So many of us did not grow up with gentleness,

And we were not taught gentleness.

We have had to unlearn and reteach ourselves.

"Unlearn" and "reteach" are terms we have heard,

And may claim to embrace, but the actions are so

much harder to execute. I speak from experience.

If we are doing our best, and our best does

not look like we thought it would, we still

did our best. May we embrace our "best"

(and the bests of others) each day.

May we realize that work, healing, and living

Look different each day. May we be honest

With each other about which "best" where are at,

and meet each other right there, face to face

without frustration and without malice,

Only kindness, understanding, appreciation, and gentleness.

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