EVEN HERE, THERE’S ROOM FOR FLEXIBILITY IN LIFE

Strength and Flexibility, a poem:

If you look closely at the folds
in the fabric of the clothing we wear,
you can trace the seams
of how the fabric is stitched together.
Neat and precise,
there is a clear structure to how it's made.
But then, when the clothing is worn,
there are different points where the fabric bends
to conform to the body it is holding.
The fabric may stretch and fold,
giving in and conforming to the body within.
And in that moment, the fabric is
able to both hold its shape and give when needed.
And in this space, strength and flexibility
exist together.

This poem tells the story of fabric and clothing and how they both conform to the bodies that wear them. This poem was written to open up the mind to see the other things that we wear each day that are both strong and yet flexible...but it doesn't always seem that way.

Every day we wake up with stories and lived experiences carried over from the day before. Many of us are able to recall everything from daily routines to memories without having to put much thought into it. We head into our day aware of the roles we play: leader, student, listener, observer, caregiver—and we can even move through them in all of the ways we have learned to be in those roles. And at the same time, each day, the more and more we steady ourselves into our roles and routines, the harder it becomes to ask ourselves questions like: "How am I doing?" How am I really doing? How am I doing under the weight of all this fabric I put on each day? Is there any room for flexibility? Is there any room for change?"

If you've ever had the chance to change out of uncomfortable clothing into something more comfortable, then you know how freeing it feels. With this one shift, we realize that it's not that we didn't need structure at all, we just needed some structure that gives. Because even the most flexible clothing has a shape...it's a more forgiving and flexible shape and one that we don't always realize we need.

What are the flexible shapes that we can switch into?

Perhaps, we still need to wake up tomorrow and...
-be a leader, but maybe, there's a more flexible way to lead that allows us to look at the ways we feel pressured to overcommit or take on everyone else's responsibility.
-be a student, but maybe, there's a more flexible way to learn that includes time for creative exploration and mistakes.
-be a listener, but maybe, there's a more flexible way to listen that allows us to also be vulnerable and share our own experiences.

Perhaps, even here, amidst all of the structures that are in place, there is still room for flexibility. There is still room for us to put on clothing that is both strong and flexible...to wake up tomorrow in a more forgiving and flexible shape. Strength and flexibility can coexist.

Word of the Day: Flexibility (n) "the quality of bending easily without breaking." (Oxford Languages)
Affirmation: “I am flexible and adaptable. I am open to change.”
Journal: What are the flexible shapes that I can switch into?

More in this week's series called "The Long Swim: The Paths We Must Traverse", only with a subscription in the Storyteller App.

Sincerely,
Morgan Harper Nichols
@thestorytellerco
@morganharpernichols