Author: gracesmuggler

— Photos by Renee Roederer

Okay, okay. I just don’t know what to title this one.

But here’s a really good story about how antibiotics were developed, how staph has fought back with resistance, but how somehow, a Nordic medicine man from 1100 years ago created a concoction that seems to work consistently.

Enjoy this podcast as reported by Latif Nasser:
Radiolab — Staph Retreat

I recently found this poem hanging on a wall. I thought I’d share it today. May it speak to us in whatever way it needs to speak.

A Voice Through the Door
By Rumi

Sometimes you hear a voice through the door
calling you, as fish out of water
hear the waves, or a hunting falcon
hears the drum’s Come back. Come back.
This turning toward what you deeply love
saves you. Read the book of your life,
which has been given you.
A voice comes to your soul saying,
Lift your foot. Cross over.
Move into emptiness
of question and answer and question.

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A post shared by Jacob Collier (@jacobcollier)

In one afternoon,

Someone hugged me and said, “Thank you for being you and for all that you do.”

and later,

I hugged someone and said, “You are such a treasure, you know that?”

We can receive good things.
We can share good things.

Both are never regrettable.

—Renee Roederer

@hopegabriel__

#glimmers #humanconnection #smallmoments #serendipity #consciousness #spiritualtiktok #divinetiming #inthemoment #presence #simplicity

♬ original sound – hope gabriel

All people in this world have needs that are particular to themselves.
Every person.

And

All people and all communities have unique and particular strengths to share.
Every person, every community.

I’m not sure if we can ever truly run from need, because human need is one of the most honest and real things about us all. But we definitely try. There may be a number of reasons for this. Among them, we’ve internalized lot of cultural narratives about individualism, self-sufficiency, and the belief that we must produce and earn love and belonging. (Psst, those are myths. Dangerous myths).

But those cultural narratives take form in our thoughts and feelings…

“I’m a burden.”

“I’m too much.”

“I don’t want to over-ask.”

“I don’t want to trouble.”

“They’re going to get tired of me.”

“I can’t voice this.”

Soon we’re speaking narratives about ourselves, and we run from our need and from one another. But again,

All people in this world have needs that are particular to themselves.
Every person.

And

All people and all communities have unique and particular strengths to share.
Every person, every community.

There is no shame in any of this. We can embrace these parts of ourselves. We can share these parts of ourselves. We can love these parts of ourselves.

Need away, friends. Welcome to humanity!

—Renee Roederer

— Renee Roederer

Thich Nhat Hanh says,

“To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.”

If it rings true to any part of yourself, time to take that in.