Be the Tortoise
Welcome to the Healing Reflection. You are invited to come N-E-A-R Grief and move toward healing.
Intention
Set an intention to be okay with a slow grief journey. One day at a time.
NOTICE
Notice the sky today. What do you see when you allow your attention to peer through a window? What color is the sky? Are there clouds? If there are clouds, allow yourself to look for an image in them. What do you see? Are there planes flying? Allow yourself to notice the sky today and just notice details you may at other times be too busy to pay attention to.
EMOTIONS
How do you feel when you notice the sky and pay attention to the details?
ACTION
Listen to this Aesop’s tale and allow yourself to hear a needed message as you work through your grief.
The Hare & the Tortoise
A Hare was making fun of the Tortoise one day for being so slow.
"Do you ever get anywhere?" he asked with a mocking laugh.
"Yes," replied the Tortoise, "and I get there sooner than you think. I'll run you a race and prove it."
The Hare was much amused at the idea of running a race with the Tortoise, but for the fun of the thing he agreed. So the Fox, who had consented to act as judge, marked the distance and started the runners off.
The Hare was soon far out of sight, and to make the Tortoise feel very deeply how ridiculous it was for him to try a race with a Hare, he lay down beside the course to take a nap until the Tortoise should catch up.
The Tortoise meanwhile kept going slowly but steadily, and, after a time, passed the place where the Hare was sleeping. But the Hare slept on very peacefully; and when at last he did wake up, the Tortoise was near the goal. The Hare now ran his swiftest, but he could not overtake the Tortoise in time.
The race is not always to the swift.
REFLECT
Reflect on how you can take your time to work through your grief. Would it feel okay to be the tortoise? With grief, I know you might want to rush through the pain and get to the better. Trust yourself. You will get there. There was a time when the loss of my best friend in my 30s was devastating, and today if you ever hear me say the words “not yet” — that is me never forgetting how this beautiful friend in my life for my 20s and 30s would encourage me. If I said “I can’t play the piano as good as so-and-so,” Melissa’s sweet voice would say “Not yet.” I hear myself say that phrase to my counseling clients and it brings comfort to feel that connection with my friend. And believe me, dear listener, that was a tortoise trip to my healing. You do not have to feel alone. Loss is a shared life experience. When you feel ready, find someone to hold and honor your loss with you, and you do not have to rush to get there.
Note: The audio's background music ("Our Beautiful Project") is provided by: https://www.purple-planet.com. Images provided by Canva.