Traffic jam

The other day, a one hour commute turned into a much longer journey when I ended up sitting on the interstate for two and a half hours due to an accident up ahead. I had been longing for breathing space but not like this.

What makes space spacious?

Ordinary particles

All those days

you felt like dust,

like dirt,

as if all you had to do

was turn your face

toward the wind

and be scattered

to the four corners

.

or swept away

by the smallest breath

as insubstantial—

.

did you not know

what the Holy One

can do with dust? ~ Jan Richardson

Stretching

And the thing about blooming is, nothing about the process is easy. It requires every part of you to stretch upward, with your roots firmly planted in the ground; and in the sun, and in the rain, and wind, you stand anyway, even against the pull of the soil. And through it all, one day you will see all along you were transforming. This took everything out of you, but the struggle was beautiful and necessary for your growth. ~ Morgan Harper Nichols

Where are you stretching upward?