Poem #14: You Are a Precious Being

I love Brene Brown and her book The Gifts of Imperfection. In it, she talks about a pervasive sense of inadequacy that has seeped into our minds and threatens our well-being. I have seen this phenomenon anecdotally in my interactions as well. I don't think I know many people who can take a compliment, just stand there and take someone telling them they are awesome. As if it's a painful thing, something wrong, to be avoided. As if the inadequacy is a frozen tundra we've been trapped in, as if we've all been standing outside in the Minnesota winter, -5 F windchill, and our limbs have gone numb and suddenly the compliment comes along, and it's the luke warm water you put your hand in that brings a rush of sensation that feels unpleasant, pins and needles waking up, but oh-so-good when it thaws. So, my poem today is a compliment. Just stand there and take it, and thaw.