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2023 Catholic Media Association Second Place Award, Poetry
In 2018, Betsy Johnson's life went sideways. She was diagnosed with breast cancer, had to undergo chemo and radiation, and was asked for a divorce she didn't want. Betsy knew there were all kinds of things she could do to numb the pain, but she wanted to get better, not worse. She decided to walk through this crucible with hope and grit, and thus began these meditations.
To heal, we have to get real and name the mess, the fear, the pain. And we have to see a way forward. A way out. Or at least a way to sit while the storm crashes . . . because no storm in the history of the world has ever been able to hold the sky forever. Whatever you or someone you love are facing, these meditations can bring a hit of hope and help you not only to survive but to live light.
Contents
Contents
Introduction xi
Part One: The Way It Is
Trying to be perfect is a kind of hell 2
Most of us would rather have a root canal 4
Notice when your flaws are in play 6
Life will give you cliffs . . . and strawberries 8
Part Two: Like/As
This isn't a perfect metaphor 12
Like Don Quixote, know adventure awaits 14
Consider the boulder 16
What if you invited more weeds and wild into your life? 18
Your chance to dance in dead leaves 20
Be as still as a wide-open prairie 22
Consider the acorn 24 Peace—like lasagna—doesn't just happen 26
If you have a mountain in your life, put on a sturdy pair of shoes 28
Even creatures with wings sometimes scream as they wheel in the bluest sky 30
A door asks you to live somewhere between 32
Part Three: Dead Ends
Don't give me the pat answer 36
The world wants you to hide what is weird 38
Can you quit trying to make a U-turn? 40
You can live on autopilot 42
Just don't let them drive the bus 44
Part Four: My (Tougher) Advice
Have a seat 48
Eyes on your own mat 50
Decide now to be a bad ass with a big heart 52
Begin again and fail better 54
Cherish your scars 56
Stoke your inner fire 58
Remember the wondrous space 60
Board by board, nail by nail 62
Dammit, this matters. Trust me. 66
Do not ruin the good with "what if " 68
There is no magic wand 70
Part Five: My (Gentler) Advice
You don't have to do another damn thing 74
Or you can let go of the things that weigh you down 76
Encourage what is good 78
Perhaps, you could consider living the gentler verbs 80
A practice of endurance 82
And if something is big, give it time 84
And if you can't live with the uncertainty 86
Remember, pretty flowers come from shit 90
Encore yourself with joy, baby 92
In this new space, see what is 94
You deserve to be looked at with love and grace 96
Part Six: What You've Done/Are Doing/Will Do
What deserves your attention? 100
Can you tell when you are growing prickly? 102
And it might have been horrible, harrowing, but you have survived 104
Maybe it is a good time to surrender 106
You are bigger than your thinks 108
You have already done so much 110
You have a light inside 112
This is not the end of your story 114
