Wooden crates offer a certain view to their contents, allowing a person to think with reasonable assurance that they know all there is to be had. And should it be a dock worker already knee deep in toil and surrounded with multiple products of similar design, style and markings, the crate could easily be stacked, shelved and itemized with little consequence for its actual contents.
Such it is with friends, family, partners, neighbors and coworkers. Each of us has the ability to design our own material, our own product, and choose what is visible to others from the view and the crevices between the uneven slats. For some the view gives way to negativity, broken pottery shells or damaged wrappings in constant state of worry, dismay or upheaval. For others, perhaps these shells are brushed aside or hidden in a corner of the crate, while the most delicate, exquisite parchment paper, tenderly and carefully protected by the finest vellum, is displayed with loving optimism and enduring wisdom. And the view that is allowed varies from person to person, relationship to relationship, a continual shifting of contents with the journey and experiences of life.
We all have places that are filled with strength, generosity, hope, eagerness and talent while simultaneously harboring fractured pieces whether visible or not. Some of us are unwilling to allow view of these while others seem bent on setting them in display for fear of misrepresentation or fraudulence, uncertain as to their worth yet even more fearful that others might even agree to its lack.
As the pull of life sends our crate to different corners of the world, years pass, and nature allows for the relative comfort and settlement of the contents, peace and tranquility, acceptance and contentment surface. Certain gratitude and life events transform the need to hide or shift but settle and become. Outward markings fade so that the crate could almost be non-descript and ordinary but for the unique lines of weathered wood and stain patterns. Glorious, aged and sturdy imprints marking the journey of our spirit.
Many are fortunate to have had, held and shared all of their contents with each other, neither itemizing nor comparing but gifting and repairing. Yet there are those to whom we have never been able to allow the most open view and their idea of our world as the years have gone by has been limited to just one perspective. And although a truth perhaps at one time, it remains a blight to our wholeness and leaves shadows of sorrow and yearning.
So how then to repair it? More often it is the inadequacy and fear of the other, stretching out in determined effort to dwarf and hide from self then a statement of our Being. Nevertheless, responsibility still rests in part on our shoulders given the personal choice of the initial and subsequent views. It can be difficult to pull out of former territory and even more daunting when such has been allowed to fester. A relationship that has maintained the same nuances for all time can easily give pull to slide even years backward into the old frame of mind.
Moreover, magnifying current happiness and security can even trigger the relationship farther into sad disconnect. All at once it is threatening, unbalancing and gives greater cause to wall up or hide their person. Yet the span of time, bringing with it wisdom and insight, necessitates that we cannot possibly allow for such to continue, especially with our dearest loved ones and family.
Diligence and conscious thought in opening and being vulnerable to all scrutiny for those we know are worth the sharing, is the only way to change the image. Vulnerability allows for growth, is strengthened when shared and cannot ever be a pretender. Sometimes, it takes the courage of one to offer vulnerability first before the other will feel free to release their own guard . And from there, there is no port of entry nor place of destination comparable to the fullness of that joy.
And as we come together, reunion or visit, across a restaurant table or in the confines of our homes, no one would ever think to make the mistake of shelving our person into categories incongruent with who we are. The markings of our true existence if cultivated and openly offered will supersede those with which we began. Unmistaken form, spirit, talent, emotion, being. Unmistakably unique, brave, loving and real. Unmistakably and thoroughly meant to be an eclectic assortment of crates offering diversity and unencumbered love.
We all have places that are filled with strength, generosity, hope, eagerness and talent while simultaneously harboring fractured pieces whether visible or not. Some of us are unwilling to allow view of these while others seem bent on setting them in display for fear of misrepresentation or fraudulence, uncertain as to their worth yet even more fearful that others might even agree to its lack.
As the pull of life sends our crate to different corners of the world, years pass, and nature allows for the relative comfort and settlement of the contents, peace and tranquility, acceptance and contentment surface. Certain gratitude and life events transform the need to hide or shift but settle and become. Outward markings fade so that the crate could almost be non-descript and ordinary but for the unique lines of weathered wood and stain patterns. Glorious, aged and sturdy imprints marking the journey of our spirit.
Many are fortunate to have had, held and shared all of their contents with each other, neither itemizing nor comparing but gifting and repairing. Yet there are those to whom we have never been able to allow the most open view and their idea of our world as the years have gone by has been limited to just one perspective. And although a truth perhaps at one time, it remains a blight to our wholeness and leaves shadows of sorrow and yearning.
So how then to repair it? More often it is the inadequacy and fear of the other, stretching out in determined effort to dwarf and hide from self then a statement of our Being. Nevertheless, responsibility still rests in part on our shoulders given the personal choice of the initial and subsequent views. It can be difficult to pull out of former territory and even more daunting when such has been allowed to fester. A relationship that has maintained the same nuances for all time can easily give pull to slide even years backward into the old frame of mind.
Moreover, magnifying current happiness and security can even trigger the relationship farther into sad disconnect. All at once it is threatening, unbalancing and gives greater cause to wall up or hide their person. Yet the span of time, bringing with it wisdom and insight, necessitates that we cannot possibly allow for such to continue, especially with our dearest loved ones and family.
Diligence and conscious thought in opening and being vulnerable to all scrutiny for those we know are worth the sharing, is the only way to change the image. Vulnerability allows for growth, is strengthened when shared and cannot ever be a pretender. Sometimes, it takes the courage of one to offer vulnerability first before the other will feel free to release their own guard . And from there, there is no port of entry nor place of destination comparable to the fullness of that joy.
And as we come together, reunion or visit, across a restaurant table or in the confines of our homes, no one would ever think to make the mistake of shelving our person into categories incongruent with who we are. The markings of our true existence if cultivated and openly offered will supersede those with which we began. Unmistaken form, spirit, talent, emotion, being. Unmistakably unique, brave, loving and real. Unmistakably and thoroughly meant to be an eclectic assortment of crates offering diversity and unencumbered love.
- This Carman Girl
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