I've admitted to you before in these blogs that for too long I've been clothed in a Wonder-Woman costume, attempting to "leap tall buildings in a single bound," and doing the Ginger Rogers' thing of landing "backward and in high heels." Many of us women are familiar with that routine. That show of strength may get us through some tough life situations but, in the end, doesn't always serve us well.
At this stage of life, I'm trying to shed that costume. I'm trying to admit what I need—and actually ask others for help. Asking for help actually is a way to be strong, I know that in my head. It's not easy to break old habits, however. It's a work in progress, for sure.
I like what poet Mark Nepo says about this in The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have: "Asking for help, whether we get it or not, breaks the hardness that builds in the world. ... One of the most painful barriers we can experience is the sense of isolation the modern world fosters, which can only be broken by our willingness to be held, by the quiet courage to allow our vulnerabilities to be seen. For as water fills a hole and as light fills the dark, kindness wraps around what is soft, if what is soft can be seen."
What an image. "Asking for help ... breaks the hardness" and "kindness wraps around what is soft." Hmmm, perhaps I need to put that on a post-it note for my mirror. You, too?
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