Remember…

If anxiety walks beside you
like an insistent child,
if rested contentment is but a distant memory,

Take a deep breath.
Pat yourself on the back for paying attention,
for not looking away,
then go to ground.

Go to ground until the smell of moist earth
fills your nostrils with the comfort of home.
Until you can see in the darkness
the faint outline of […]

Oh, heart of mine,
were you beating in another’s chest
the words would come easy…
Be gentle, try to rest.
It’s ok to just be.
But beneath my own ribs

Put your feet on the ground.
Really.
Take your shoes off if you can.
Dirt is good or grass, rocks…even pavement.

Put your feet on the ground.
Close your eyes.
Tune in only to sounds that center you.
Feel the air against your cheek.

See if you can feel or imagine
the rich deep pulse of the earth
Notice how your own heart naturally shares […]

Is there a place you could go
where, standing among the trees,
you look up into a canopy of branches
still leafless in their winter slumber?

Where the silhouette shapes are framed
by vibrant blue sky etched with clouds?

If so, then go. Perhaps leave right away.
Take yourself to a place where branches paint the sky
and your feet are on solid […]

Trust your Wild spirit.
Tell yourself again and again
in whispers or fierce growls,
Trust your Wild spirit.

This is your most important task.

Feel the rhythm of the earth
beneath your feet.
Breathe with the wind
and the expanse of sky.
Sway with the mighty trees
that bend, but do not break.
And call these things by their name,
just as they call out to you…
Beloved.

Trust […]