The news is bad. We’re overwhelmed, suffering, trying to cope without the right tools. We just need a hand up, a friend alongside us. We just need to know we’re not alone, and a reason to believe it will get better.
We feel like we’re drowning.
We Feel Like We’re Drowning
The storm hits, the hurricane comes in, and with it comes the dark. The scary. The unknown. The ugly, doesn’t-belong-here, never-asked-for-this stuff.
Our Paradise is lost in the mire.
Paradise Lost: We Feel Like We’re Drowning
And we can’t catch our breath. Because as soon as we come up for air, another wave crashes over us, the tidal waves pull us down, the ebb and flow is not a smooth lake but a waterfall whirlpool that drags us in so many directions at once and doesn’t let go.
It’s impossible to breathe.
The Rough of It: We Feel Like We’re Drowning
We bang against the rocks and we know this wound is gonna leave a scar. The seaweed tangles around us like tentacles from a monster and our fear grows. We know it’s not real, but it is real. It is grabbing us.
You can’t avoid the storms.
Sure, we didn’t always choose to be put in the path of the storm. Sometimes we saw it coming and thought, “It won’t be that bad.” Or sometimes we walked toward it with our eyes closed or looking elsewhere. Sometimes, we were led to this by others. Every life has storms, no matter what.
Muddy Waters: We Feel Like We’re Drowning
And when we’re in it, really in it, it’s hard to see around us. We can’t easily navigate our way to safety, and chances are we could pull others into the storm if we’re not careful.
And the mud gets into us. It fills our ears, eyes, nose, mouth. We feel the grit between our toes, we taste it going down our throats.
It. Is. Everywhere.
It’s all we know. Except, we know there’s more. We know we weren’t always in the storm, and we weren’t always in the mire. We weren’t always dirty. And all we want is to be clean.
But there’s nothing we can do but let the storm carry us through its abuse of our life.
But what if we can?
What if the waves are getting our attention because the placid water wasn’t? What if we aren’t hurting as bad as we think we are? What if the waves crashing on us are fiercely washing away the mud from our eyes so we can better see the path ahead? What if the only way to separate us from what we shouldn’t hold on to, is to have it ripped from our grip? What if the ridiculous pain of this life is meant for something more than making us miserable?
What if this storm is meant to cleanse us and make us stronger?
What If We’re Not Drowning?
Instead of panicking, what if we found our stride, and realized the shore isn’t so far away?
What if, in fact, we’re not drowning? What if what’s really happening, is we’re finally learning how to swim?
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Click to Tweet: Frankly, My Dear . . . What if we’re not #drowning? @RealMojo68 #franklymydear
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Great post, Molly Jo! I love your “what ifs?”
Thank you, Mary. This came out of a deep conversation with a very dear friend yesterday. Life just keeps knocking people down, but we manage to stand back up. So we’re not as weak as we think we are. “Just keep swimming!”
Molly Jo recently posted..What If We’re Not Drowning?
Molly Jo, I miss the additions to our “deep conversations” in Wordsmiths. Let me know if you ever want to attend or join “Poemsmiths.” I don’t think many know you write poetry, too!
You are so sweet, Mary. Thank you. If my schedule allows, I will let you know. Would love to be part of a group again, but not until NOLA is finished.
Molly Jo recently posted..What If We’re Not Drowning?
Very wise, Molly.
William Kendall recently posted..Tumbling Through
Thank you, William. I can’t really take credit for it. I’ve been hit by a few waves and learned this through trial and error.
Molly Jo recently posted..What If We’re Not Drowning?