Resensitized
I’m not in love with the idea that we need pain or sorrow to fully appreciate the good and yet, with each new world tragedy it’s as if we’re given a pair of fresh eyes to see just how good our individual lives are.
I hate it that awful things happen in the world and yet so many of us need them to pull us out of our moments of self-inflicted despair.
This poem was inspired by the swath of gun violence we’re seeing in our country. I hope and pray that these attacks upon humanity will stop. And until they do, may we each find a way to feel the pain, send love to our fellow humans, and remember that the good in the world starts with us.
Resensitized
We rush about our day. Going. Moving. Doing.
So much to get done. So much to fix. So much to handle.
Desensitized.
Our frustrations fill our mind and our to do lists determine our actions. We are awake, YES, but not awakened. And then the unthinkable happens. A bomb goes off. A bridge collapses. A fire rages.
We feel the pain and wonder if it will ever get better.
We feel the fear and wonder how to stay safe.
We feel the sadness and wonder if we’ll ever have peace.
And then, suddenly, we awaken. Resensitized. We feel the tragedy course through us, waking up the center of our being that we work hard to keep small and protected.
We awaken from the daily grind, from our shortsightedness, from the little blips of life that a moment ago felt oh so important.
We awaken to the beauty before us, to the love within us, to all that we have that just seconds before was taken for granted.
We awaken and see the fragility of life and thank the heavens for still having one.
And in the awakening, we are free. We are not paralyzed by fear or overrun with old doubts, shame, or guilt, but FREE.
Free to live fully, to see clearly and love deeply because we’re now awake enough to know we can.
We will fall back asleep and be desensitized again. It’s only natural as life eases back into an everyday rhythm.
And just as naturally, the world will, again and again, offer awakening to all that is here and all that we have.
The world will offer and we will rise to meet it.
We will cry and love and expand, getting fuller with every inhale.
We will resensitize and be freer and stronger for it.
If you enjoyed this post, please keep reading!
This conversation is between myself and an incredible woman named Ani, who shares how she learned how to be authentic, practice self-compassion, and take up space without guilt or shame through my 6-month group coaching program, Homecoming. Ani is a model for how to excavate internalized misogyny and live authentically without fear of others’ opinions. The conversation originally took place on my podcast, The Path Home.