Stay Gentle

“You will see the blue sky spreading endlessly above you and smiling down.”– Aya Kitô

Open windows driving on a Sunday to nowhere in particular.
A simple act of exploration.
Wind flowing through, hair in the air.
Listening to music.
Really listening as summer is in prelude, ready to burst.
Expanding my playlist to keep discovering new music to feed the soul.
Poetry in motion, senses tuned.
I land on a song from Brandi Carlile, freshly downloaded, new to me.

Stay gentle.
Words that permeate, demand, stick, challenge.
It’s been a rough 2 ½ years of pandemic living.
You can see the weariness on faces of others and when you look in the mirror.
Now people are saying it’s going to be our “new normal,” just the way it is.
I don’t buy it.
Nothing stays forever.
Some things do change us forever.
Growth, acceptance, expansion if we allow, fostered with time.

And still.
And yet.
And for certain.
We get to choose our response.

We can’t let these things or others harden us, narrow our view, insulate us from healing beauty.
We must say, shout, sing a resounding YES! to life, all of it.
No leads nowhere.

Eyes of a child, soft heart, laughter, light, joy, amazed, wild, cracked, imperfect.
Be naïve, love with abandon, stay gentle.
Turn up the music.
A resounding YES!

“Stay gentle, keep the eyes of a child
Don’t harden your heart or your hands
Know to find joy in the darkness is wise
Although they will think you don’t understand

Don’t let the world make you callous
Be ready to laugh
No one’s forgotten about us
There is light on your path

Stay gentle, keep the eyes of a child
And wear your heart on your sleeve
Know to find joy in the darkness is wise
Although they will think you are naive

Don’t let ’em lower your shoulders
Love ’em more while they try
Grow younger while you’re growin’ older
Be amazed by the sky

Darling, stay wild if you can (if you can)
The girl with the world in her hands (in her hands)
The kingdom of Heaven belongs to a boy
While his worry belongs to a man

Stay gentle, stay gentle
The most powerful thing you can do
Oh, gentle, unbreakable you” – song by Brandi Carlile