Love and hate
Loved and lonely
Committed and free
Rational and creative
Reliable and flexible
The oak and the reed
The oak and the reed and the sunflower
The oak is rigid and steady
The reed is flexible and bendy
The sun flower bends towards the sun because that’s what it needs to grow
And
Time is finite
Understanding that we cannot do it all
Seeing the untold dangers of saying both Yes and No
The interconnectedness of our collective well-being
That my flourishing or burnout is related to your flourishing or burnout
That you and your well-being are worth it
That we are worthy.
Beyond jobs as a symbol of our values and total identity
The dignity of workers and non-workers alike
Rejecting the futile fixation of getting everything done
Recognising and embracing our finitude
The Box Paradox
I refuse to be put inside a box
I love the tools that help us better understand ourselves and others
But these can be seen as a way of putting people inside boxes
How can I reconcile this with loving to think outside the box?
Welcome to the Box Box Box Paradox!
The bridge
The sensation of being on a bridge
From one side of one’s life to another
The frail balancing act between
Strength and flexibility
Between saying Yes and No
The oak and the reed
What type of tree should I be today?
Yes limited
Chameleon
Sometimes we don’t really know who we are
Quiet or loud?
Introverts or pseudo-extroverts?
Sometimes we adapt to become who others tell us we should be
Despite our reluctance to be put inside boxes
Sometimes we just are
A combination of complex thoughts and behaviours and moments leading up to this one
Others and ourselves all at once
Sometimes we retrieve, sometimes we share
At times withdrawing is the best way we know how to connect
We think, write and sing
Purple, yellow and green