I like to stand tall and sometimes I need support. Sometimes we all need support.
My friend wears a leg brace and she hates it. She thinks it looks ugly. She feels treated differently when people see it. She doesn't like what it says about them. But she falls over more without it, making her sore and bruised. So she wears it for a bit, gets her confidence back, then leaves the support behind until either her physio or her falls mean she needs to rely on it again. It's a cycle. All the while she is supporting others, who are leaning on her. I look at her and see only the strong stuff from which she is made.
I too fall over more without support in place. I let worries grow. I can forget what matters to me, and how I want to live. I can feel stretched and uncertain. Often all that I need is a place to lean, or a moment to share how I feel.
I have found that support is everywhere, once you start to look. I've also found that without sharing what is going on, people might see only the strong stuff. Most times support has come from other people, and sometimes from unexpected places. I've leaned on lots of people recently and I am so grateful to you all. I've also leaned on nature, recognising the rhythmns of the seasons and the rhythms of life. I've sought support from endorphins. I swam, I walked, I cycled. Sometimes supporting others brought me strength . I've lent on thinking - I read and I wrote. I found connections. I found kindness. I gained strength and clarity from others. There's nothing like knowing that other people have your back. Thank you.
Tulips show us how it is done. Tall and upright at first, they seem to need nothing. But soon they rest into each other and then, without support they collapse. But they become ever more beautiful every day. More inviting and revealing - more comfortable.
We don't need to struggle alone, unsupported. We might need to lean and rest and we might need to fall. But we become more beautiful as we let go, as we bend and borrow from all around. The first step can be hard - from bud to bloom. It starts with speaking up, with sharing your thoughts out loud. It starts with a chat. Maybe with strangers on one of these benches, maybe with someone you know. It starts with letting your needs be seen, and it starts with letting go.
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