Brave Souls
When you are stuck in a boatload of sorrow, “Buck Up”, “That’s Life”, “Stop Feeling Sorry For Yourself” and “Get Over It”, are not only harsh, un-kind, not helpful, terribly un-compassionate, but they’re a way of putting distance between what I see as ‘distasteful’ in you, which I don’t want to see in myself. It’s not only hurtful, it’s soul numbing. Feelings are what make us real.
What are you saying when you say, “Stop Crying?” Where do those feelings go, if no one will sit with them? Brave souls welcome all of it, not just the pretty parts. Brave souls say, “Cry til you’re done crying. Don’t smile, just for me.” Brave souls are constantly in touch with their feelings, the feelings of others, welcoming and inviting. No pretense. No platitudes. They are masters of feeling feelings because they began at ground zero, with “I Don’t Care.”
Be brave. Get hurt if you must. But care.
LBM 10/30/2020
