What can she do to sustain,
To maintain her lifeline
And still stay sane,
Her brain swirling with possibility,
Unwilling to contain
Her untamed soul
©Ashley Castle Barnes
It often feels like a tug-of-war between my head and my heart, my soul and my body.
One wants to be wild and free. One wants to be organized and responsible.
One wants to make rhymes, and one wants to make lists.
One wants to walk barefoot on the beach from sunup until sundown. And one wants to check the time and make sure to eat.
I’m finding there is no right or wrong way to be, only one extreme or another.
And the middle isn’t always the answer.
I’ve avoided the extremes because that’s how I’ve ended up burned out in the past.
But also, the extremes are where the deepest feelings and experiences often lie.
The deeply freeing feeling of being on a beach without a care in the world.
The deeply satisfying feeling of organizing a successful book launch.
And the deeply comforting feeling of resting in between.
It’s what I do with the in-between, and the unwillingness to lose sight of what’s wanted, needed, and fulfilling about the extremes.
Now to go make rhyme…or a list!
How about you?