#facing yourself

Little one, tell me why your pain binds you today. In your eyes there's a shadow of great sorrow.

I wouldn't want to see you like this, even if you try to hide it. If you're so sad, why do you want to keep it to yourself? ...

... Little one, you know very well that sorrows come and go and disappear. You'll dance again and be happy like flowers that bloom.

Little one, there's no need to cry, the stars shine for you up there. I want to see you smile, so I can share your joy, little one. I want to share your joy again, little one.

(Translated from ABBA's Spanish version Chiquitita)

Except that sometimes it is. Sometimes you are waterlogged.

Waterlogged and wading through flooded waters. And you are exhausted.

Sometimes you've had too much of the storm. Because sometimes it has taken too much from you.

So you don't have to dance in the rain you don't want to. You don't have to embrace it if you think it might drown you.

You can sit and read a book. You can call a friend. You can close your eyes and sleep.

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about figuring out the best way through it.

And sometimes that means facing it, sometimes embracing it.

And sometimes that means closing the curtains, turning the music up, and dancing inside instead.

Becky Hemsley 2023

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