I heard this poem recently, read by Mark Coleman at Spirit Rock in the states. Let the words wash over you and through you, an antidote to the those constant judging and comparing thoughts that may swirl about day to day. Be kind and gentle with ourselves and others today.
If you would grow to your best self
Be patient, not demanding
Accepting, not condemning
Nurturing, not withholding
Self-marveling, not belittling
Gently guiding, not pushing and punishing
For you are more sensitive than you know
Mankind is as tough as war yet delicate as flowers
We can endure agonies but we open fully only to warmth and light
And our need to grow is as fragile as a fragrance, dispersed by storms of will
To return only when those storms are still
So, accept, respect, attend your sensitivity
A flower cannot be opened with a hammer.
– Daniel F. Mead
