As I hold my head up high...
When a loved one feels pain or hurt, we instinctively want to comfort them through touch. To make their worries go away. It is far less common to soothe ourselves through touch. Though we understand that we cannot take care of others until we take care of ourselves first. How ironic.
As I hold my head up, I can feel the weight of the world on my shoulders and I understand the origins of my back pain. To feel encumbered by the world around me as it manifests on my shoulders. A modern day Atlas statue in the flesh.
By self soothing.. holding my head up high.. I tell myself: I’ve got this. I’ve got you. We’re in this together.