to hold
a thought, a hand, a smile, a story
anything at all
demands some degree of effort
in body, mind, energy
.
when our effort to maintain
that which we hold
lingers in place,
tenacity well in tact,
it begins to overshadow
the ease that lives,
breathes, beneath it all
.
when our earnest effort
begins to eclipse
our light(ness),
tension naturally builds
and rigidity takes form
.
and yet, we have a choice
.
to begin awakening
to our efforts,
to notice
where they are directed,
when they are engaged,
how we grip, force, brace, freeze
.
in our noticing
we create an opening
to sense when the effort rises
and meet it with softness
.
to release the narrative,
loosen the grip,
soften the eyes,
to welcome a little more breath
to take the tincture of release
.
so for the days when the grasp
is strong, when the story
carries you away
to a place painted
with the vibrant colors of imagination
far from the truth
of the moment,
for the days when the effort
outweighs the ease,
may we ask:
what remains now,
when I let go just a touch?
