Take a Moment at the Creek
#4 in the series of non-religious Sunday posts
I took a short writing retreat on Saturday—and wrote for eleven hours. It is a gift to my soul to do this. As I wrote, I referenced several documents and parts of my story that were included in my first book, Brave: Healing Childhood Trauma. As the difficulty of those early years of healing fades, the good memories remain. I found myself longing to once again sit on the bench alongside the creek where I spent so much time considering the truth of my story and finding hope for my future.
When you are a young person, you are like a young creek, and you meet many rocks, many obstacles and difficulties on your way. You hurry to get past these obstacles and get to the ocean. But as the creek moves down through the fields, it becomes larger and calmer and it can enjoy the reflection of the sky. It's wonderful. You will arrive at the sea anyway so enjoy the journey. Enjoy the sunshine, the sunset, the moon, the birds, the trees, and the many beauties along the way. Taste every moment of your daily life. —Nhat Hanh
I don’t know what this past week held for you—it was a difficult week for many of my friends. Whatever this next week holds for you and wherever your “creek” is, I hope you can take some time to enjoy the journey, and “taste every moment of your life!"
How wonderful to have time to write! I love this for you. And what you share today resonates. I have been “home” this week in the Boston area where I grew up. Being here this time feels so different than it has. I feel strong and connected rather than helpless and uncertain of where I belong. It has been wonderful to spend time with family, to get to know a sister I have not seen since she was a child and I was a teen, to see the ocean that has always drawn me home…. Heading to my cousin’s house right now where my aunt is dying. Looking forward to being with family as we say goodbye until we meet again.