Being Held Without Being Asked
There is a particular kind of relief that comes when no one asks you to explain yourself.
You do not have to justify the tiredness. You do not have to organize your thoughts into something understandable or acceptable. You are simply allowed to be as you are, without commentary.
That is the care being offered here.
This afternoon, I ask for you to be as you are. No improvement required. No insight demanded. No expectation that you will use this time well or wisely or productively. Just a small moment set aside so you do not have to hold yourself quite so tightly.
Sometimes being held looks like this.
A few steady words placed where your thoughts have been racing.
A reminder that you are not behind.
Permission to stop bracing for what comes next.
If the day has felt heavy, you are allowed to let it remain unfinished for now. If your mind keeps returning to the same worries, you do not need to solve them before evening arrives. You can carry them softly or set them down altogether, just for a little while.
When you leave this page and return to your day, consider choosing one small kindness for yourself tonight. Nothing elaborate. Nothing that requires energy you do not have.
You might step outside and breathe for a few minutes.
You might turn something off instead of on.
You might sit quietly without filling the space.
You might rest earlier than planned.
Whatever you choose does not need to be earned.
This is what it means to be held. Even when you are the one holding yourself.
It means someone has already said, without asking you to respond, that you are allowed to breathe. That the day does not need more from you. That it is enough to settle down and not do another task.
Some places require you to ask for care.
This one offers it freely.
Mika
P.S.
Along the margin of the Ledger this afternoon, a familiar hand left a line behind.
“You do not need permission to rest. But it is sometimes kind to be reminded.”
Lady Staywell tends to make herself known to those who choose to stay.