Soft Places to Land

Sometimes offering a soft place to land it starts with a smile. Sometimes it starts with a thank you to a stranger. Sometimes it’s a yoga class, and letting people know that they are loved, sacred and needed on this earth. Not in spite of anything, but because of everything. They are everything – they offer all their thoughts, all their energy, all the messy, all the good, all the bad.

A soft place to land may be in friendships. It may be in meditation. It may be on our yoga mats. It may be in true confessions, and late night confessions to a friend, although I never find these easy.

A soft place to land comes from an amazing sense of gratitude, even when our worlds are upside down. As my dear friend, Neill, and I have joked for years, a soft place to land is looking at our water faucet, and having running water: even hot running water in a moment. Gratitude for these things leads to softness.

A soft place to land is admitting our faults and having a friend that says “yeah, I already knew that about you and it’s okay. You try really hard or you love big or we already know your heart Emmy.”

A soft place to land is silver linings even in the midst of grief. 

A soft place to land is a moment of absolute joy, like fireflies back east or watching children giggle as they play in the sprinklers.

A soft place to land is being present for sunrise or dusk. 

A soft place to land is realizing your partner’s probably not going to change and then you realize her partner (me) is also probably not going to change and somehow making it work without snide comments, and with a whole lot of acceptance.

A soft place to land is how when I kiss the top of my oldest’s head that he smells like sawdust and woodshop and earth, just like my father did even though this kid makes music and beats. He hangs out with his friends and loves to cuddle his 13 1/2 pound dog. He is nowhere near dirt or sawdust and yet he’s the sweetest reminder of my dad.

A soft place to land is always always my head onto her chest even when I’m annoyed with her even when we’ve had a shit day, and even when we’re at odds in parenting together.

A soft place to land is living my life while laughing at myself,  finally learning to not take myself so seriously, no matter the trauma, the bonds, the friendships, and the intensity of this world.

A soft place to land is being able to be myself with no apology. To be flooded with love and to love others, like never before.