By: Tanvi Maharaja PT, DPT
As moms, we bear many mantles: wife, partner, mother, daughter, sister, professional roles, social responsibilities, friend, shoulder to cry on, empathetic listener, someone to just hold hands with, someone who will understand, and someone who will be there when needed. The mantles are many. They are beautiful, precious; they are also heavy, and sometimes they wear us down.
In times like these, we need self care and time to heal. For me, accessing my creative side helps me in a therapeutic way. I like to paint, and to write. Words somehow come easily to me, and I find poetry to be a fun, creative way to channel my ideas and thoughts, and to practically unload the weight of my thoughts, the magnitude of my many mantles.
This is a recent piece I wrote, titled “Murmers in the Wind” about living free from negativity.
‘Twas a mellow summer evening
The salty breeze was cooling
There I was
Humming along
Sowing a garden of rainbow
Colors all kind
Shades all bright
Laughing, tingling, merry a-making
I hummed and worked
And sweat and hummed
And that’s when I heard
Murmurs in the wind
Something about the colors
Not being right
Or being too bright
Being a shade too different
Or a shade too light
The soil not right
The patch too tight
So many faults, oh my plight
To hear, these
Murmurs in the wind
I turned the soil and watered the seeds
I loved my garden
I loved the shades
Why was this not a good deed
That I could not comprehend
I wrecked my head
Trying to understand
The murmurs in the wind
On the patio I sat
Enjoying my bloom
Sipping a drink
Melting in the golden sun
And there again
The rumors began
What was she thinking
Being so weird, why was she different
Why try so hard
Why try something new
Said the murmurs in the wind
I went out and did my bit
I sweated and weeded
Laid down the manure and fixed the bed
Even lined it with the prettiest little rocks
And I looked at it and quite liked what I saw
Not really sure what more I needed to fix
I was trying hard
And doing everything I could
Why did they keep bothering me
These murmurs in the wind
They kept going, they persisted
Not caring for the sweat on my brow
Or the thorns cutting my fingers
Not seeing the struggle
The scrapes in my knees
Or the ache in my heart
Or even the pretty flower bed
They just kept coming
The murmurs in the wind
I slept like a baby
With a pillow stained with tears
Why won’t they leave me alone
Was it wrong to aim higher
To choose to not be mediocre
To choose for a lofty goal
One that lifts your soul
How could I explain this
Did I have to explain this
To the murmurs in the wind
There was something about the light
After a long, dark night
When the sun rose
There was something about a new morning
Something about an understanding
A new day, a new revelation, an epiphany
I looked out the window
And I saw my little garden
Glorious, colorful, beautiful
The tulips dancing the roses blooming
In the soft morning breeze
And I smiled a little
A smidge of pride swelling in my bosom
The tulips looked lovely
The aches had faded
The cuts hurt no more
And then I heard them again
The murmurs in the wind
And I smiled
For I knew
They were never about me
Or my flowers or my garden
The murmurs reflected
More about those who whispered them
And I felt sad
Trying to understand
What burdens those hearts carried
That made them keep going
And be so unforgiving
What sadness must lie
Behind the little lies
And I understood
And I stopped worrying
And I stopped caring
About the murmurs in the wind
As moms, we need to take care of ourselves. And if not first, then we at least need to be on the list! What creative ways do you indulge in self-care? Poetry, painting, doodling, sculpting, crochet? Let us know in the comment section!
Community Voices for Health 