When someone says in hindsight,
you know there’s going to come
a list of woulda coulda shouldas,
as if looking back over a
metaphorical shoulder means
a critical review of a play
that was still in previews,
when the actors hadn’t found
their feet yet, could barely
remember their lines, and
already people are ready
with judgments, layering
them like fondant on
a three-tier cake. What if,
instead, we consider
the tiniest winks of light
caught out of the corner
of an eye? The moments
of grace when a spill was
avoided, or better yet, when
we were caught and held.
When the bad thing didn’t
happen, or when we extended
kindness to a stranger
without thinking of potential
consequences. If we connect
the dots of those brilliant
specks, they add up to, say,
a year of undeserved gifts
mixed with disappointments,
tiny antidotes to despair,
our sacred story. Then,
ignoring the critics,
let us leap to our feet,
applaud wildly, pat ourselves
on the backs with a hearty
bravo! and keep moving
forward—the only way,
truly, we can go.
Güd wrtr 
Another beauty! Rings true! This is how we encourage a toddler to walk, not by saying *You should have stayed upright! * I love this reframe and encouragement. You are a revolutionary, Jan, and I love the way you express the revolution. Better yet, when we were caught and held Tiny antidotes to despair And that great landing–the only way, truly, we can go.
Love, Tx Jan
Transformational Coach, ICF ACC Certified Deep Coaching Practitioner Affiliate Amherst Writers and Artists Writing Group Leader Wildasswriters http://www.janetjohnstoncoaching.com
Thank you, dear Jan! I so appreciate your kind comments and reactions!
Brilliant
>
Thank you, Kristine. Much appreciated!