Day 29: permission
a poem a day in the month of may
Friends,
Wow, we’re almost there.
I recognize that a lot of my subscribers may not care about writing poetry, so thank you for humoring me this month—I really love this practice, and it has been truly cathartic to write poetry every day this month.
Thank you for reading my words, for sometimes writing your own whether you share them or not, for igniting love and care in the world.
Today’s word is permission and I’m really excited to see where you take this.
She lay down on the hammock, the piercing sunlight slowly shocking her system into a sense of peace and quiet. Finally, finally, she stops and steps away from every bit of life that is asking her for more of herself. She stays there for what seems like hours, resting with her eyes closed, a gentle smile slowly curling up at the corners of her mouth, her tender and tired heart finally realizing that even if this moment is all she gets today, she never needed anyone else’s permission to give herself this gift.
Just want you all to know how much I love your poetry. Even if I'm not commenting on them, I'm so grateful for each of you!
Thank you, Kaitlin, for giving us this permission. I had no idea I needed it until I stopped to let your permission soak in.
Permission
How long was it
before you realized
that it wasn’t just
what you needed
from someone else;
that, in order to be
a healthy being,
you need to practice
giving it to yourself?
So often, we spend
our lives focused
on obtaining permission
to “do”; moving,
acting, working,
thinking our way
into a worth defined
by productivity.
Starting today,
I’m going to find time
and make room
to identify what I need
to be more whole and healthful,
and give myself permission
to be just that:
*quiet breathing space*
*wordlessness —
both aural and visual *
*fun — in whatever
form and shape
that feels good today*
*sensory attentiveness —
at whatever levels
make me smile*
How ‘bout you?