Vital

I've been waiting to see what poem would surface for my first post of the new year. As has happened before I was somewhat in linear mode, but then I decided to take a meander and skip ahead to this piece. I clearly remember writing it and feeling so strong and good and right. That's a feeling that stayed in my being even as I dug in and processed more of the sorrow and hurt. And it's still with me as I move more surely into the newness of my life now.

And... about the picture above...:) I don't usually post pictures of me, but this one is just the right one for this poem. It was taken at the top of Burnt Mountain near Sugarloaf. I hiked it alone in September of 2009. Well, not really alone - my dog Sophie was with me. It was a hike I had never done and it felt so wonderful to summit that day. I did truly feel vital AND I also figured out how to use the timer on my camera. I was truly the only human being up there!

Vital

I am vital.
I feel energy flowing
through me,
the currents of my being
melding together and
making me whole.
I am vital.
I have given selflessly
for so long
and now I know that it
is not selfish to include me
in my giving.
I am vital.
I have gifts that are mine
to share
and I make a difference in
those whose lives
I touch.
I am vital.
I belong here in my place
and I finally
deeply understand
that it is safe to
be me as I am.
I am vital.
My body is strong,
my life force flowing,
my being free.
I need not be
perfect because
I am vital just as I am.

Sarah Carlson

October 29, 2008