Poem: AFTER A WHILE by Veronica Shoffstall

This has been one of my favorite poems since I first read it over a decade ago. In each new season of life that I happen upon it again, it speaks to me with an even greater richness and truth than the time before. I hope you hear the wisdom in the words.

After a While

After a while, you learn the subtle difference

Between holding a hand and chaining a soul

And you learn that love doesn’t mean leaning

And company doesn’t always mean security.

And you begin to learn

That kisses aren’t contracts

And presents aren’t promises

And you begin to accept your defeats

With your head up and your eyes open,

With the grace of a woman,

Not the grief of a child.

And you learn

To build all your roads on today

Because tomorrow’s ground

Is too uncertain for plans,

And futures have a way

Of falling down in mid-flight

After a while you learn

That even sunshine burns

If you get too much.

So you plant your own garden

And decorate your own soul,

Instead of waiting

For someone to bring you flowers.

And you learn

That you really can endure

That you really are strong

And you really do have worth

And you learn

And you learn

With every goodbye, you learn.

~ By Veronica A. Shoffstall

Today’s lesson: Seasons change. But the more people learn, the more they grow. Don’t avoid your lessons and resent your growth. Embrace even the pain of bursting through your emotional, psychological and spiritual retaining walls.