I see you
Making life easier for everyone else.
The way you are patient with the clerk
Pick up yet another errant sock
Get another mostly homemade meal on the table
Plus extra in a tupperware for the ailing neighbor.
“Busy” is a word you left behind long ago
Because it implies that there is a world – or a day –
In which you are not busy.
In every moment you are working, planning –
Juggling –
Giving your warm-hearted attention to this issue and the next
To this needy person and the next.
And it seems like being strong and capable is
Its own punishment
Every moment a sharp-toothed hydra, growing two heads for
Each one you think you’ve handled.
Everyone turns to you.
Every problem is yours to solve.
And you still feel as though maybe you are not
Doing enough.
The painful fear of failing is
Worse than the fatigue
So you keep going.
Luckily, you have an excellent sense of humor
And a love of long walks
And three close friends on speed dial.
And you are excellent at counting your blessings.
Blessed are those in back-to-back meetings, for theirs is the patience of mountains.
Blessed are those who are annoyed by willful ignorance, for theirs is a righteous fury.
Blessed are the uncomplaining, for theirs is a peaceful surrender to the inanities of the world.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for carbs and wine, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are those who dance in the kitchen
Make time for family game night
Say, “I love you” at every single opportunity
Ignoring the eye rolls of the young ones
As you go out of your way to make an
Ordinary moment
A memory.
Because it is the memories that matter.
A legacy of moonlight on mown grass
And a quick hug.
You are indeed as busy as a bee – the Queen Bee –
Sensitive to the hum of the whole hive
Filled with sweetness and good medicine
The center of the whole eco-system, really.
The center of the benevolent hum.
©2022 Sam Bennett
