Thank you for sharing your beautiful photos, touching poem, and reflective writing practices. After reading your post, I’ve been trying a new approach with my inner critic. When it brings up a mistake I’ve made, I say something like “thank you for bringing this up and now we can do a fresh start from here.” So far it seems to be working to disarm the overly protective defender and misguided guardian as it gets what it wanted.
I also enjoyed Brooke’s reversing the old phrase to bring a new perspective of growing new habits. For me it brings to mind watering and nurturing freshly planted flowers (maybe Poppies ;). Watering them not with the strong flow from a hose, but by hand with gentle sprinkles from a watering can. Taking care of them daily until they take care of themselves and don’t require as much attention like an established habit.
The landscape photo of the view from your balcony flipped to portrait gave me visceral vertigo, as if I was falling off a balcony into the snow below.
I have to say this is one of your best poems I’ve read! It’s like bringing out gold “from the vault”. I particularly love these lines, “i hear nothing. i feel everything.”
I use the breath technique you described while I’m stretching. Focusing the mind on the body part I’m stretching, like my hip, and releasing (softening :) the tension on the exhale. A previous yoga teacher of mine called it “relax and drop”.
Thanks again for sharing as this was both inspiring and fun to read!
Thanks for engaging with this post so thoughtfully, Greg. It means a lot knowing you are reading and practicing and exploring the ideas shared here. Brooke's words are medicine, and I love your illustration of tending to flowers in a garden with gentleness. Exactly!!
And navigating the complex dynamics of the internal family system is tricky! Befriending all the different parts, especially that stubborn critic, is my lifelong journey... a relationship in progress.
I'm delighted you enjoyed the poem. It's one of my favorites too. I have hundreds from writing one every day for the past 2+ years so they will slowly trickle out here in this Poppy Garden. Please share your glorious poetry whenever and wherever you can... we all benefit immeasurably. :)
You have a lot of wonderful thoughts penned in this newsletter. Putting “soft” into my vocabulary is like learning something new. Some things we will never master but, as days, weeks, months, and years go by, the idea of “the same old thing” may be viewed by others as great strides toward lifelong goals. Thank you.
Thank you for your kind words, support, and for taking the time to read! Re-learning the depth, power, strength, and skill of practicing softness is a lifelong exploration. There's no rush :) Another helpful quote around this idea is the Chinese Proverb: "Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are." I'm happy to talk more about what it means to be soft and live softly, too! <3
Marissa,
Thank you for sharing your beautiful photos, touching poem, and reflective writing practices. After reading your post, I’ve been trying a new approach with my inner critic. When it brings up a mistake I’ve made, I say something like “thank you for bringing this up and now we can do a fresh start from here.” So far it seems to be working to disarm the overly protective defender and misguided guardian as it gets what it wanted.
I also enjoyed Brooke’s reversing the old phrase to bring a new perspective of growing new habits. For me it brings to mind watering and nurturing freshly planted flowers (maybe Poppies ;). Watering them not with the strong flow from a hose, but by hand with gentle sprinkles from a watering can. Taking care of them daily until they take care of themselves and don’t require as much attention like an established habit.
The landscape photo of the view from your balcony flipped to portrait gave me visceral vertigo, as if I was falling off a balcony into the snow below.
I have to say this is one of your best poems I’ve read! It’s like bringing out gold “from the vault”. I particularly love these lines, “i hear nothing. i feel everything.”
I use the breath technique you described while I’m stretching. Focusing the mind on the body part I’m stretching, like my hip, and releasing (softening :) the tension on the exhale. A previous yoga teacher of mine called it “relax and drop”.
Thanks again for sharing as this was both inspiring and fun to read!
Thanks for engaging with this post so thoughtfully, Greg. It means a lot knowing you are reading and practicing and exploring the ideas shared here. Brooke's words are medicine, and I love your illustration of tending to flowers in a garden with gentleness. Exactly!!
And navigating the complex dynamics of the internal family system is tricky! Befriending all the different parts, especially that stubborn critic, is my lifelong journey... a relationship in progress.
I'm delighted you enjoyed the poem. It's one of my favorites too. I have hundreds from writing one every day for the past 2+ years so they will slowly trickle out here in this Poppy Garden. Please share your glorious poetry whenever and wherever you can... we all benefit immeasurably. :)
You have a lot of wonderful thoughts penned in this newsletter. Putting “soft” into my vocabulary is like learning something new. Some things we will never master but, as days, weeks, months, and years go by, the idea of “the same old thing” may be viewed by others as great strides toward lifelong goals. Thank you.
Thank you for your kind words, support, and for taking the time to read! Re-learning the depth, power, strength, and skill of practicing softness is a lifelong exploration. There's no rush :) Another helpful quote around this idea is the Chinese Proverb: "Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are." I'm happy to talk more about what it means to be soft and live softly, too! <3