When a new day wakes me, each
worry rises too, greets the morning,
rubbing the eyes and joining the others
that crowd around as we
all, the whole battalion of us, put
on our work boots and dress ourselves
and prepare to pretend we've got it all together.
worry rises too, greets the morning,
rubbing the eyes and joining the others
that crowd around as we
all, the whole battalion of us, put
on our work boots and dress ourselves
and prepare to pretend we've got it all together.
Each morning we put ourselves together.
Ruth Bowen Hersey
posted with permission
~
Photo - taken by my brother
My Dad's Army boots
My Dad's Army boots
~
Personal Note: I love this poem because sometimes now,
since I became a "caregiver", this is how I feel. Every morning
boots on the ground, hit the ground running, feeling overwhelmed,
like I'm always trying to "put myself together" meeting the challenges
of this "new" role...
since I became a "caregiver", this is how I feel. Every morning
boots on the ground, hit the ground running, feeling overwhelmed,
like I'm always trying to "put myself together" meeting the challenges
of this "new" role...
Things need to change...
I need to remember my Inner Being, my Inner Life...
Stay tuned...:)
The boots are wonderful, carrying so many memories...having tromped so many places. As we all have, and are doing. Keep up just being! Sometimes that means less attention to oneself than we'd like, but no matter what's happening, each breath offers that moment of peace.
ReplyDeleteHi Barb - Yes, just keep putting one foot in front of the other, push through the best you can, which is very draining of life energy, especially when one has health issues themselves... I'm currently taking a class in Mindful Caregiving from the Zen Caregiving Project. There are several women in the class who are burned out, losing themselves in the experience of caregiving a family member - *needing* compassion and support themselves and - self-care - so that they can "just keep being" as you say... We *need* to pay attention to ourselves in order to maintain our resilience in the caregiving role. This is not a selfish act, but a necessary self-caring to keep going. That's why I need to rely on my "inner life" more...
DeleteThank you for your input...
Overall, the poem evokes a sense of empathy and understanding for the universal experience of grappling with worries and uncertainties, while also acknowledging the strength and resilience inherent in the act of facing each new day.
ReplyDeleteYes, a kind of "collective" facing into the day and what needs to be done.,..
DeleteThank you...
And also having compassion/empathy for our common humanity, and its struggles.
DeleteYour dad's army boots are a perfect representation of this exquisitely relatable poem by Ruth, no matter what walk of life. They are weathered but still kept upright and shiny.
ReplyDeleteYes, just like some of us humans: weathered but still upright and shiny :) LOLOLOL Thanks for you comment as always...
Delete