(no subject)

'Tis a gift to be simple,
'Tis a gift to be free,
'Tis a gift to come round
Where we ought to be.
And when we find ourselves
In the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley
Of love and delight.
When true simplicity we gain,
To bow and to bend
We sha'n't be ashamed.
To turn, turn, will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning,
We come round right.


I walked the neighborhood streets earlier. It is cold here... fittingly so. People were quiet, subdued, with visible evidence of frayed tempers and strained nerves. They lack the energy I've come to expect here.. no children playing on front steps or skateboards on the sidewalk. It was rather empty. In the store, it seemed more babies cried than usual, with more mothers trying to shush them with less patience than I'd noticed before.

I came home to spend time with friends, and found mixed opinions and strained tempers there, too. As well as reasons to smile. To laugh, to hug, to say, "we are still here." Whatever happens later, we are still here now.

I'm not making much sense. I don't have words for this. There is fear, there is hurt, there is confusion. But under that, something is stronger. Have you ever felt... grounded? Here, this spot where I stand now, this place where I touch the ground, I am connected. I live. I love. I breathe. I ache; that is part of living, and so that, too, is good. I'm not numb. I want to be doing. I am restless to be... an active part of. But I feel bound in, connected. And that, too, is good. It is not quite enough, but it is very, very good.