Today I choose to hold my stress like tea in a cup.
It has some hot water on it and it is streaming into the cup.
The liquid in the cup is contained, and so is the stress.
Not too much to handle. Not too hot to handle.
I know it is there, I sip it all day long,
but it does not consume my day or make me sick.
I continue to remind myself, the stress in my cup
is an indication I need to pay attention.
I don’t need to punish myself. I need to look deeply
at the best way to empty the cup.
While caring for myself.
But most of all
I need to look at how I hold the cup of stress in my life.
I need to see if there is another way to be about it.
I don’t need to carry it in my body.
It does not belong in my heart.
I can pour it in a cup of tea and do what I can little by little.
When I change how I hold it, it becomes medicine.
Knowledge, and reveals an edge of wisdom.
Sometimes it hurts to see what is there.
But mostly, I am grateful…because
I have knowledge of what is in my hands to do –
and what I can and cannot do
and when I need to – I stop and rest.
Stress lets me know
that I care about something important –
but I can hold it differently –
stress will not be my master
or color my days with fretting.
No. I will not allow my stress to become
anxiety, and since I am paying attention,
it won’t.
When stress comes into my cup,
I will gracefully notice
and empty it with my diligent care,
as I am able.
I forgive myself.
I forgive my self for all I cannot do.
I forgive myself for what I said I would do but didn’t.
I forgive myself for what I want to better but cannot right now.
I ask forgiveness of those who are affected when I cannot do what I say I will.
I have compassion on what others said they would do but didn’t.
I commit to holding myself gently.
I remember to search my cup of tea for miracles.
Love
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Thank you for your eloquent and powerful words, Shiloh. This one on stress rang lots of bells within me and made me pay attention. I’ll print it and keep it posted where I can read it when I need to.
Linda (Ginger)
You and your lovely words of perspective are a gift Shiloh! Thank you.
Hey there, I enjoyed reading this, it’s a good way of looking at stress as separate from oneself. Nice piece.
What a lovely way to look at the teacups I inherited from my family! Places to hold the things that I cannot hold inside until I can learn from it in a way that will not hurt me so badly…
Yes we need to pay attention. Sometimes we experience stress because we did not mind what was happening to us and it all piles up!