The Weight

Today I am grateful for a morning I could sleep in. I am grateful for the healing power of written words. Sometimes those words are my own, sometimes they are the words of others.

I was absolutely exhausted last evening, in a way different from my usual evening tiredness. I get up early and have full days most of the time, so it isn't unusual to be tired by early evening. This was different. It felt like an accumulation of the last weeks and months of a busy work life, a full personal life that has included much heaviness for many people I care about. And I am included on that list as well.

A song I have always appreciated is The Weight by The Band. "Take a load off."

Take a load off. Rest. Sit. Pause. Let go. Pray. Talk about things. Write about feelings. Rest some more. Let go some more. Pray some more.

There has been grief, fear, pain, life transitions, deaths, a worrisome diagnosis, aging, failings, lack of faith at times. And yet, there is hope in "take a load off."

I have family and friends who care, who listen, who help me gain energy back. Thank you all!

I have running and writing that revive me too. Ever grateful for these and the ability to do both, physically and otherwise.

So the weight seems heavy at times, but it has lightened even since I started writing this post.

None of us is alone in the weight we carry, as long as we don't isolate. Reach out to others, share a smile, a laugh, lighten your load by sharing it with a trusted friend, or be there to hear them out.

It all helps. We all help each other. We all matter. This moment matters. Start here.