I will go among the trees and sit still.
All my stirring becomes quiet
around me like circles on water.
My tasks lie in their places
where I left them, asleep like cattle.
Then what is afraid of me comes
and lives a while in my sight.
What it fears in me leaves me,
and the fear of me leaves it.
It sings, and I hear its song.
Then what I am afraid of comes.
I live for a while in its sight.
What I fear in it leaves it,
and the fear of it leaves me.
It sings, and I hear its song.
After days of labor,
mute my consternations,
I hear my song at last,
and I sing it. As we sing,
the day turns, the trees move.
-Wendell Berry from This Day: Collected & New Sabbath Poems
To shed your fear you must first sit with it and acknowledge it. I like to talk to my fears like a pestering child, calm and patient, I will say “thank you for alerting me to something that you are concerned about right now. You are right, that is scary. You are right, there is a lot unknown right now. I appreciate you, but you may not be in charge of my day or my heart.” This poem from Wendell Berry reminds me that I can sit with my fear and my fear can sit with me, but that I cannot lose the song of my own heart. That is the song that needs to steady and shape my days. I don’t have to be a farmer (like Berry) or live in the woods (although I would love to) to take a moment to sit and name my fears, to acknowledge their presences and weight and to listen quietly for what is true and steady.
Be kind,
Cara
To Find a Steady Center is a daily poem and meditation to offer a short, good word to those who are anxious, fearful or lonely anh who might need a gentle word of hope, encouragement or perspective during social distancing.
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