A Follow Up To : A Pause

Yesterday I posted a short writing called “A Pause.” I reflected afterward and I noticed a part of me wondering if it was worth it to post, while the majority of me felt right to do so. (I encourage reading A Pause prior to reading this one.) I realized that my reflection yesterday was a somatic experience happening in real time, as I was writing, and that this somatic experience didn’t have verbal language or written words.

I’ve been thinking about all the information I’ve come across in recent months. Information about terror, violence, other current events, the state of our world, alongside posts about wellness, health, and overall positive messages. Information on theory, opinions, and facts.. So many words on a page, in a single scroll, and so much wisdom out there. It is a lot of intellectual dialogue. Lately, I’ve been feeling overwhelmed not solely by the content of information, but by the way it is being delivered. The words. The thoughts. The intellectualization. It really feels intense in my body.

What we don’t often see online is the pause. The rest. The not writing. The being. And that matters. It matters so much.

I think about what we see in the limelight: what it means to be the main character, to get promoted, to have something of importance and to name it, to be the one who made a difference. Some people truly do meaningful, impactful things in this world, and there is credit where credit is due. There is something special about that kind of contribution. It’s unique. It can be inspiring. It can move things forward in ways that matter. And at the same time I think about those who are quite content living their lives as they are, without needing to rise up or climb ladders, without needing to speak about their accomplishments as defined by external standards. The ones that live with integrity without recognition. The ones that  show up in meaningful ways that cannot be translated into headlines or metrics. The ones who are content knowing a little bit and letting that be enough.

There are so many stories online are about those who have somehow managed to find a breakaway, to “make it,” or who possess some special quality. What if it’s okay to be average?

I came across an article recently about conformity by Stephanie Lam. Essentially, the message is that conformity isn’t always a bad thing, and that sometimes taking the most traveled road is actually what our nervous system needs. That the herd mindset is okay. Sometimes doing things for the sake of standing out or being different can become rigid and binary. Ironically, it can conform to that rigidity. I know being part of the herd is not the same thing as quiet wisdom, but today I am finding that they are related.

I circle back to writing. The writing that make it out there. The ones that make it have a plot, a purpose, something complete. And what if they don’t? I’m feeling gentle compassion for the writings that don’t make it into the public eye. I am feeling compassion for the sensory and somatic experiences that don’t need definition. I feel compassion for the quiet ones. The people that feel okay as they are. And even the ones that feel too scared because they don’t feel like enough. Perhaps that’s part of it, or perhaps it’s a deeply engrained societal construct.

Just some open-ended thoughts making their way onto the screen.

—Imuri

By the way, this is my 30th blog post on my website. As someone who doesn’t define myself as a writer, I have found it pleasantly invigorating, healing, and fun to write about things that I am interested in. Thank you for stopping by. Thank you for reading.