In Tandem

In Tandem

Chest tightens, breath restricts,
unease begins to find a grip.
Wonder surfaces,
“What is that?
Why does it visit?
Should I pay attention, or not?”
And then I choose 

the miracle of breath.
That’s it.
I just breathe.
As I do, awareness washes in –
this tightness has a narrative
with a very complex plot.
Over time,
these moments of pause
continue to unravel storylines
that make up this life
I have lived so far.
Some I remember vividly,
others remain in a haze.
Some are valid and true,
others imposed and faulty.
What becomes more and more clear
is that the constriction,
though real in the moment,
does not have to honor
stagnant tales of old.
Those struggles are done
if I let them be.
I have the power to
let my story adapt
as I anchor to those
profound undulations
that present themselves 

along the way.
Just as love entered my life

exactly when I needed it,
so can I embrace,
even ask for,
Divine love.
I can let the obsolete subplot
of fear and doubt flow away
as many times as necessary.
At the very same time,
I can keep my memories of shared love,

that wonderful sense of being 

in tandem,

alive and well within.

Sarah Carlson

November 19, 2019

The Nuances of Change

The Nuances of Change

So many transformations in our lives.
Some colossal and life-changing,
others more delicate and quietly altering.
And, of course,

everything in between.
Recently I’ve been noticing
soft, muted adjustments
in my body, mind, and spirit.
Awareness of these
 involves allowing the power of quiet,
floating in the currents of now.
Sometimes this can be a bit disorienting,
though not uncomfortably so.
Patterns of thought,
once valuable and important,
are gently replaced
with novel undulations
of truth.

Singular grains of sand at low tide
nestle together in a splendid,

though temporary,

display.
Each occupies its rightful place
in shared moments of grandeur.
That’s the story right there,
 right then,
 free for beholding.
Just as majestic
 is the potential shifting
 of the story –
with the winds, the tides,
the drifting of days.
The nuances of change
have a sweet, subtle
radiance of their own. 
Recognizing this provides
for ongoing opportunities
 to reap the benefits
of the rippling out,
as well as
the rippling in.

Sarah Carlson

November 11, 2019

Your Glorious Ripples

I share this with gratitude for these waters, this place - Clearwater Lake, Maine

 Glorious Ripples

There is such a multidimensional losing
 to loss.
One wonders,
“Where did he go? Where am I?
 Who am I? Am I okay? How do I go on?”
Slowly, over time, this losing
can actually turn to finding.

In acknowledging the impact of loss,
it truly is possible to uncover
an eventual sense of gain.
Initially an oppressive weight
 that feels immovable and impenetrable,
grief can be an opportunity to
discover one’s veritable self
and the value of what ripples
out from within.
As one examines disheveled bits and pieces
of what was once a coherent whole,
there emerges the ability to enable them
to rearrange and reintegrate
 in their own way, their own time.
 Arriving at this place 

of letting go, letting be,
letting in, letting out
takes time.

And, that's okay.
Instead of heeding the inclinations
to hide or fend off,
there’s a sweet liberty
and tangible joy of allowing
one’s tenderheartedness to circulate.
Lose, find, heal, be
and you may just make your way to
relishing the reverberations of
your glorious ripples
 as they expand
into your surrounds.

Sarah Carlson

November 2, 2019