Your absence has gone through me
Like thread through a needle.
Everything I do is stitched with its color.
~ W.S. Merwin
I came across this poem by Merwin the other day, and it instantly made me think of the Five of Cups. A terrible loss is like a thick fog that closes in around us, until it is all we can see. Platitudes offered by friends and acquaintances just get lost in its mist. But the Wolf Pack card suggests a way we can safely ground ourselves in a secure place (Home). Just as the mother wolf brings back her cub from wandering too far, we can come back to our body through simple tasks. A few days ago, Ellen wrote of doing needlework as a sensory focal point. Like her knitting, any small, daily activity - preparing a meal, weeding a flower bed, sweeping the walkway, folding laundry - can help me focus on the physical instead of the mental. If I can briefly concentrate on the action rather than my thoughts of loss and the story around it, I can stay in the present moment. And every moment that I spend in the moment will help me heal. In time, those peeks out of the fog will assist me in finding the sunlight again.
Th only way to get out of the fog is wading through it: step by step moment by moment.
ReplyDeleteIt's so easy to get stuck in the past, hoping that history will somehow rewrite itself. But as you said, each moment we spend in the present is a step out of the fog.
Delete'Ware you don't fall too far into the fog, it is a booger to get back out of
ReplyDeleteYes indeed. I've been lucky to have friends who didn't try to talk me out of it, but instead just placed my hand on the ladder up.
DeleteWhat! Get a headlamp to help you find your way out of the fog. Maybe someone nearby can be a light to help you find your way back. Or like the Mother wolf...whoa kiddo you don't want to go there, and stops you before you wander in the thick of it.
ReplyDeleteYep, that's why having a few close, trusted friends can make a huge difference. :)
DeleteAgreed.
Delete