If You Would Grow – Shine the Light Of Loving Self-Care On Yourself

If you would grow to your best self
Be patient, not demanding
Accepting, not condemning
Nurturing, not withholding
Self-marveling, not belittling
Gently guiding, not pushing and punishing
For you are more sensitive than you know
Mankind is as tough as war yet delicate as flowers
We can endure agonies but we open fully only to warmth and light
And our need to grow Is as fragile as a fragrance dispersed by storms of will
To return only when those storm are still
So, accept, respect, and attend your sensitivity
A flower cannot be opened with a hammer.

By: Daniel F. Mead

For the next 20 Days I invite you to connect with Mindfulness through poetry. Leave a comment if you’ve enjoyed the poem or post your favorite poem.

Here is a step by step guide on how to engage with this practice:

1. Each day I will post a careful selected poem
2. Find a quiet place, sit comfortable and read the poem aloud to yourself, preferable more than once. An audio recording will also be available in case you prefer to listen to the poem
3. Take the poem into your heart and your body. Become intimate with it and allow it to guide you into intimacy with yourself
4. Allow a spaciousness of interpretation, openness of the senses and a deep experience of understanding, distinct from cognitive comprehension.
5. Spend some time with the poem, as a way of choosing to be present and mindful.
6. Bring the poem into your family and community. Share your experience with your loved ones, including Mindful Brain Community.