Good Grief

Good Grief

...the very best kind.

I hear you saying,
I don't feel very good.
I want to get better.
I want to feel better.
If I could only get
this monkey off my back,
I might actually become
a more loving human being.

I ponder that voice -
so familiar,
for so many years
ringing in my ears,
causing me headaches,
yet unable to do
that which must be done.

The oft-repeated slogan goes -
nothing changes,
if nothing changes.

What this helps me to know
is what my weary soul desires.
It wants to go into the darkness,
all those places I'd rather not go,
and to encounter people I don't like
while admitting my shortcomings,
as I make amends when possible,
through doing no harm to others
nor to myself.

---

Grief can be the garden of compassion.
If you keep your heart open through everything,
your pain can become your greatest ally
in your life's search for love and wisdom.
~ Rumi