There is a sacredness in being gentle. If done deliberately, in full awareness.
Gentle. On purpose. A fundament. To life.
To a life well lived, as opposed to a life where one simply survives.
Gentleness. Compassion. Grace. Kindness.
My discovery of gentleness – of learning not only how to be gentle to myself, but starting from scratch with understanding that it’s an option. That being gentle to me a choice that I have – in the way I think of it today, is something I’ve grown into, this past quarter of my life. I am grateful for the discovery of gentleness, which has led me to so many insights. So many.
As a result of this discovery, I am free to explore and uncover. I get to be curious about all things, within as well as without. And I learn. I listen. Ask questions, and reflect on answers. Feel. Experience. Live. Upon discovering being gentle, to me, I learned to lavish the world with it.
Gentleness. Compassion. Grace. Kindness.
And the concept of gentleness pops up, everywhere. Over and over. In conversations, in podcasts I listen to, articles, books, songs, quotes.
Over and over.
Gentleness. Compassion.
Grace. Kindness.
And then.
Then there are the places where I spot the absence of it.
The absence of gentleness.
A void. Something is missing that is needed, a necessity; leaving me in dire straights. It’s as if I get short of breath. Gasping for air, but there’s too little of it.
Gentleness. Compassion.
Grace. Kindness.
Can we live without it?
Can I? Do I want to?
Is life worth living without?
First published on my blog on April 25th, 2016: https://helenaroth.com/being-gentle-to-me-reflection-april-16/
Audio production: Caspian Almerud
Photography: Anders Roos http://www.andersroos.nu/
Soundtrack: Olof Jennfors Ljudtjänst http://jennforsljud.se/