Dear L: The little beauties
Dear Lauren,
Thank you for your letter. It’s just what I needed to hear as I’m a couple weeks in to a new job that is overwhelming and hard and very often has the potential to cause heartbreak.
I’m not here to fix, I’m here to bless. I looked up the definition of “bless” and this iteration seems particularly appropriate in my role as a mental health clinician: “to provide (a person, place, etc.) with something good or desirable.” I’ll hold on to that when the weeks continue to bring all manner of awful stories through my door.
I’m also holding on to smaller beauties, little bits of hope that I find everywhere when I stop to take a look. The fluff from the cottonwood trees floating on the lake. The hay fields undulating in the wind. The little ducklings paddling after their parents in the pond. And moving from the bustling city to experience the charms of the small town — the woman at the grocery store checkout who doesn’t recognize me and wants to know who I am, the previous tenant at my new rental who let me move my things in a few days early, the German baker who lived in the Yukon for years and who now makes the most delicious raspberry almond bars just a block from my new office. It’s a good place.
As I was writing this I felt sure I’d talked about appreciating these little beauties before — it turns out I did, in my first Dear L letter to you ever! I guess this is proof that I really believe in it. It’s a strategy I use constantly to help ground myself in the present goodness, instead of getting stuck in the hard stuff.
So, I’m going to keep moving forward from here, reminding myself that I’m not here to fix anyone and keeping my eyes and heart open to the little beauties. I think that’s a powerful combo. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes from here.
Love,
Linette
Ps. You would LOVE the clouds here! The sky is so big and the clouds tell a million stories everyday.
