The Night Will Never Stay

June 23, 2022

Night Fall Over The Blue Ridge Mountains Roanoke Virginia May 2019

"The night will never stay, the night will still go by, though with a million stars, you pin it to the sky; though you bind it with the blowing wind and buckle it with the moon, the night will slip away, like sorrow or a tune." ~Poet Eleanor Farjeon

Do you resist sadness? Do you pretend to be cheerful when you're not? Sadness isn't bad. It's a natural part of the human experience. Resisting sadness, makes it worse.

Love your sadness and you won't feel overwhelmed by it. You can still enjoy life, get things done and be a good neighbor even when you are sad.

Once I was shopping in a pharmacy, feeling down after a conversation I'd just had with an acquaintance. I didn't like feeling blue. It was uncomfortable. I strongly resisted. I tried everything to banish the feeling. Positive thinking. Affirmations. Deep breathing. Putting on a happy face. The works!!

Nothing would budge that mood an inch. I soon began getting depressed because I was depressed! What a mess. This was ridiculous. The more I resisted, the worse it got. Suddenly, I remembered a wise teaching~ to love and accept your humanness. This is one of the most powerful healing tools we have.

I stopped resisting the sadness and accepted the experience. I told myself it was okay to feel this way.

As soon as I stopped resisting, the depression lifted. I felt better. Expanded. I didn't automatically feel overjoyed, but it was such a relief to simply let myself be; to let myself experience this human emotion.

Life is full of so many different moods and colors. The key to a positive mental attitudes is in not resisting negative human feelings, but in letting them be and getting on with life.

Repressing negative feelings is not healthy. Resisting them doesn't work. We can still experience life's beauty and richness even when there is pain in our heart or a black cloud over our head.

Stop resisting your sadness. Let it be; but don't let it stop your from cooking up a delicious dinner, inhaling the sweet fragrance of beach plum roses outside your back door, or taking a long slow evening stroll down a quiet country lane, all lit up with the magic of fireflies and night noises.

Your're not obligated to paste a smile on your face when you're not feeling cheerful? I'm not suggesting to indulge in negativity. Simply let it be. The energy you use resisting could be much better spent.

Soul of an Artist