“Feelings, whether of compassion or irritation, should be welcomed, recognized, and treated on an absolutely equal basis; because both are ourselves. The tangerine I am eating is me. The mustard greens I am planting are me. I plant with all my heart and mind. I clean this teapot with the kind of attention I would have were I giving the baby Buddha or Jesus a bath. Nothing should be treated more carefully than anything else. In mindfulness, compassion, irritation, mustard green plant, and teapot are all sacred.”
― Thích Nhất Hạnh

Someone recently suggested to me that I ‘cling’ far too much to my emotions. And, that as a result of all my sticking-ness, I’m keeping myself from my own happiness.

*sideways glance*

I have to admit, it caught me a bit off guard. As a writer, I tend to embrace all matters of heart – knowing that in some sense, it shall help me to connect to others.

And, I suppose I would rather like to think that I just simply enjoy the heck out of the fullness of each emotion.

I like the fluttering heart when I fall in love.

I like the feeling of my soul completely satisfied after a lengthy day.

I like that little gasp that leaves my lips the moment I see something amazing.

But, most of all – I crave any and all things that remind me that I am so very much human.

And, I’m not at all afraid of this being human.

I like the squishiness of being toe deep in mud; I like the stinging of a hot summer’s sun. I like the bug bites, the skin rashes…the unsettledness. Because, in balance it brings depth to my simple visions.

My dears, to exist fully in any given moment, can seem an awfully scary thing. But, it can likewise be that one thing that serves to connect us all.

Through our shared experiences, we may understand…we may grow…we may feel a sense of closeness to one another.

And, isn’t that the basis of humanity? This awkward fumbling sense of always being human.

Maybe, I do cling a bit to things-but I only hold on long enough to understand.

And then, just like that – I let it slip from my hand, grateful for all that it shared with me in those short little moments we were together.