This is the time to be slow, 

Lie low to the wall 

Until the bitter weather passes.

Try, as best you can, not to let The wire brush of doubt 

Scrape from your heart
All sense of yourself 

And your hesitant light.

If you remain generous, 

Time will come good;

And you will find your feet  Again on fresh pastures of promise,

Where the air will be kind
And blushed with beginning.

-John O’Donoghue

HERE
Letting go.
I find myself.
I remove the heavy shroud of

Shoulds and Woulds and Expectations.
Here.  Just Be.
Breathe.
Soaking in the sunshine.
Listening.  To my breath.  To the birds.  To the air rustling the leaves.
Flow.  Be.  Breathe.
Letting go all of the things I'm holding onto.
They don't provide safety.
I am safe to just Be.
To be present in my body.  Breathe.
Letting go.  Unfurling the clenched muscles bracing for impact, guarding against pain.
Be.  Graceful, fluid, loose.  Centered and aligned.  Be.
Feet anchored into the Earth.  Energy channels clear and flowing.  Be.
Breathe.
No expectations.  No pushing.  No striving.  Be.
Just Be Here.

- Michelle LaRoche

This is a daily reminder

This is a daily reminder
To relax,
To not get angry over small things,
To stay calm.

This is a daily reminder
To be yourself,
To not care what people think,
To know you can be anything.

This is a daily reminder
To love yourself,
To not hurt yourself,
To not work yourself up.

This is a daily reminder
That you are beautiful,
That you are amazing,
That you will succeed.

This is a daily reminder
To always have hope,
To have faith,
To know everything will be okay.

This is a daily reminder
That you have made it so far already,
That you haven't given up,
That whatever you're doing is right,
And that you are going to be amazing.

Don't give up.
Keep holding on and believing.

- Nicolette

The buildings were big
And people would smile
Travel they would
Mile by mile
But sick they become
And numbers, it grew
Businesses worried
Communities too
Things stop for a bit
The world slowed its roll
The virus had certainly taken its toll

But what they then saw
From slowing things down
They now had less reason to frown
Families now gathered
'What games shall we play?'
'Pass my the blue crayon'
'Give mummy the grey.'
'Daddy is home guys! He'll read us a book.'
Then all of us together
We might just cook
The lungs of the planet
Caught a small break
Less travel meant less pollution to make
People did realise that it will be okay
They don't need so much to get through the day
Maybe this virus that caused so much stress
Showed the whole world that more can mean less.

-Anonymous 

It Is Enough

It is enough right now
to taste one moment of
peace. Of course I want
more, but at least the
door is open.

It is enough to draw a
conscious breath and
let my hands relax,
fingers releasing their
tight grasp on things
outside of my control.

It is enough to shed a
layer of stress as if
taking off a jacket or a
pair of too tight shoes.

Ease of being has to
start somewhere.
This breath is my
first step.

~ Danna Faulds

Excerpt from From Root to Bloom