Well. Didn’t February just fly by? (Probably because it’s only like 12 days long.)
Here’s what’s in this newsletter:
A thought I’m processing on limitations
A thought I’m loving on soul care
What you’ve been processing this month
Some link love
A full recap & links to this month’s posts
A thought I’m processing [on limitations]
I was thinking the other day about how our bodies enable us to be ourselves. They carry our spirits into the world and they make our personalities and our identities tangible. They are not just an expression of who we are; it is through them that we are able to be who we are. They contribute to us being us.
And I was thinking about my Long Covid body, and how she seems sometimes to get in the way of me being me. I can’t process things the way I used to, my mind isn’t able to dissect and translate ideas as it once could. I can’t show up for friends the way I once could. I can’t walk around cities for hours on end or go for a run. The limitations of this body seem to be keeping me from showing up as myself in so many ways.
But then it got me thinking about the ways the limitations I face in this Long Covid body have also - unexpectedly - made me MORE me. I have a kind of empathy I didn’t have before. I find less and less of my worth in what I produce. I no longer think of ‘purpose’ in terms of work or accomplishments - I find it in breaths and moments and existence.
This body is still contributing to what it means to be me. And in some ways - the limitations I face have enabled me to be more me than I ever knew I could be.
A thought I’m loving [on soul care]
As author and activist Parker Palmer once said, the soul is like a wild animal. To befriend it, one cannot barge into the forest screaming for it to come near. They must return to the wild again and again with stillness and calm until the wild beast slowly appears. If one does this over time, the beast might one day actually become a companion. For us to deepen our relationship with the soul, we need to learn the practice of stillness and quiet.
What you are all processing
When I asked the people “what are you processing this month?” - there weren’t many responses! Maybe because February was short, maybe because no one is processing anything, maybe because everyone is processing way too much to type it into some Instagram box.
Here’s one response I got:
Forgiveness.
I loved this response. It’s just one word, but boy, do I hear it echo with depth. In this one word, someone could be processing so much pain, so much loss, so much fear. There are people and stories in this word. There is hope in this word.
❤️
Some links
An article on how not to be an unhelpful Christian after disasters
An air-fryer breakfast recipe I want to try!
An article that keeps me up at night (to clarify - coercive control in the church is keeping me up at night!)
A resource from my church on caring for your soul during Lent! (Quote above is from this!)
What you missed in February
Below are some links to what I’ve shared this month! (Please note that some of my messier thoughts and musings are behind a paywall. You can read more about why I do that here, and feel free to upgrade your subscription to access them.)