It’s been a long day

~ Live & Learn

“I surrender,” I said, first under my breath. Then again, a little louder, “I surrender.” I saw a bird, and another one. Objectively, I was in a beautiful place. Objectively, my body had been strong enough to take me out here. It was the subjectivity, the comparison with where I thought I should be, that hurt. “I surrender.” I didn’t need an answer. I just needed to breathe. To, once again, find meaning in the simplest moments.

~ Eva Hagberg Fisher, How to Be Loved: A Memoir of Lifesaving Friendship. (HMH Books. February 4, 2019)

Notes: Photo by Alexandra C. Axelina via EyeEM (via Mennyfox55).  Related Posts: It’s been a long day

25 thoughts on “It’s been a long day”

  5. What a comfort— to find the perfect words here, as always; to find a book quote that makes me want to try reading again, as always; to find an image that elbows my creative slug, as always. What a comfort to come back to this place of depth, like sinking into a blue-black ocean surrounded by whale song.

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  6. With every new book I read, with every article I devour, with every photo I take and every gaze my eyes take, I realise that it’s often that I forget to breathe. Such is the strength of that very moment, the impact of a word, of a sight, that I find myself not just in need to breathe (again) but to gulp the air in…. Then, I try to laugh the moment off – and laughing always help, with everything, with breathing too!

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  11. We have a legend and an artifact down at my NA Group. The artifact is a mop handle with a white towel hanging from the wall. The legend is that one day a recovering addict was wanting to use. He called his sponsor. “What should I do?” he asked.
    “Where are you ?” asked the sponsor.
    “I’m at Precinct Line and the freeway”
    “There is a Target store there, yes?”
    “Yes”
    “Pull in to the Target parking lot and park”
    “Ok Done”
    “Now go into the store, to the household aisle”
    “OK, I’m there”
    “Grab a mop handle and a white cleaning towel.”
    “OK”
    “Go to the register and pay”
    “All paid”
    “Now go outside and tie the white towel to the end of the mop handle”
    “Got it”
    “Now go out to the corner of Precinct Line and the freeway, wave your flag and yell “I surrender”.
    So he went out to the busy intersection and followed his instructions.
    “I surrender, I surrender, I surrender” he hollered, waving his flag.
    His sponsor asked him “So now, do you still want to use?”
    In all the excitement, he had forgotten all about using…
    We say surrender is the key. Oh, and learning to follow instructions.

    I’ve been meaning to write this for some time. Thanks for being my muse, David.

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    1. What a terrific example of explaining surrendering…. The difficult part however (and – of course -) is, to be able to follow instructions, as you so wisely said!
      Thanks for sharing this with us.

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