This week I’ve needed a lot of affirming. Even the most confident soul occasionally needs bolstering when things seem to fall apart. Many people swear by affirmations – short, positive phrases used to center and encourage and help you focus on the changes you want to see in your life. I think affirmations are great, but being more of a lyrically-minded person, I like to find small collections of beautiful words and use those instead.
One of my favorites is the last stanza from Li-Young Lee’s poem “From Blossoms”:
There are days we live
as if death were nowhere
in the background; from joy
to joy to joy, from wing to wing,
from blossom to blossom to
impossible blossom, to sweet impossible blossom.
When I am stressed out and forgetting to notice all of the beauty around me, I will repeat the last line to myself: “from blossom to blossom to impossible blossom, to sweet impossible blossom…”
For whatever reason, that line reminds me to notice the little things, to have gratitude, and to take time to be delighted.
Are there any poems that serve as a kind of affirmation for you?