Hello dear ones,
A few weeks back, I shared some writing about how I found some healing for my inner teen through redesigning my website. I wanted to know what other unexpected places people had found healing, and so I popped a question box up on my Instagram stories, with the intention of turning folks’ answers into a collective poem.
I wanted to give that poem a home here too. Thank you to everyone who shared so vulnerably with me. It is a gift that I treasure, and another place where I find so much healing.
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1.
healing can happen in the most unexpected places. lying under a tree and remembering the brain recognizes itself in the leaves—both are fractals—and this is why they soothe you. learning to play chess. fixing your bike. in realizing the things that you used to get hung up on no longer bother you. patching up your own skinned knee while hiking a trail solo. at the gym, when you realize that before you heal, you hurt. heartbreak. sitting next to a parent’s grave and having conversations about things that were left unsaid. watching grey’s anatomy. eating the candy from your childhood that you were never allowed to have. talking to a stranger. in books. saying “it’s okay, no biggie,” whenever you drop and break something, knowing that all things are impermanent.
2.
healing can happen in the most unexpected places. sharing the last time you cried, with a group of strangers, who will share the last time they cried too. the bowling alley with a loved one. being sick and letting yourself be cared for, even though you wanna say “i’m fine.” wearing pink. opening up a marriage. receiving an ADHD diagnosis. learning how to fight with swords (as a sport, in armor!). teaching your toddler to spit something out if it’s yucky. in your garden. putting on drag. volunteering as adults with LGBTQ teens. letting your inner child pick the ice cream scoop flavor. a my chemical romance concert at 28. hearing the words “i love you”— and knowing they mean it. letting yourself embrace the cringe.
3.
healing can happen in the most unexpected places. when you redesign your website in the teen aesthetic you’ve loved your whole life. cleaning your house. going to an alanis morrisette concert, as an adult, and screaming out the lyrics to “you oughta know.” returning to hobbies you abandoned as a child. taking naps in the afternoon because you’re giving yourself permission to rest. stripping, specifically the bonds shared with other dancers. sharing the deep shame you’ve carried so long in your 12-step meeting. through the guidance of the stars and pattern recognition. at a karaoke bar. in childhood photos of your dad and uncle, remembering that they’re human too. taking a bath. watercolor painting. walking slowly.
4.
healing can happen in the most unexpected places. dancing silly at home alone. at a protest for a free palestine. laughing with friends. a co-writing hang with strangers from the internet. a playground swing. getting a tattoo of a flower that grew in your hometown. rewatching your favorite shows, again and again. having dinner with friends and asking random questions that everyone has to answer. caring for a feral cat in the community garden. a cat. anywhere with your dogs. dogs. animals in general. in your saved memes folder. the gossip of an exfriend, reminding you of your growth. drinking a vanilla milkshake. the classroom of your intro to nonfiction class. in your dreams, especially the ones about water. in bodies of water in general.
5.
healing can happen in the most unexpected places. in the kitchen preparing meals for yourself. wearing a strap on for the first time. bird watching. taking care of yourself when you’re sick. actually smelling a rose bush. seeing a beautiful spider on a terrible day. jumping on a mini trampoline in your kitchen to 2000s pop music. stretching classes. ordering a 2025 planner. star trek. catsitting, even though you’re allergic. the laughter of your friends. having a roommate 40 years your senior who’s become family to you. on the dancefloor. listening to the shrek movie soundtrack. witnessing your friend parenting a neurodivergent kid with so much empathy and kindness. watching romcoms with your partner, who loves them as much as you do. crying in public.
6.
healing can happen in the most unexpected places. grief. in knowing that you can grieve now. then grieving. in every tattoo that you get. self-partnership. forehead kisses. making candles. the uncomfortable conversations with people you love. watching your favorite band for the first time. becoming a teacher. tarot card readings with friends. learning how to skateboard. watching families on the train. watching people in general and wondering about the stories that make up their lives. recording voice memos that you’ll never send. when strangers on the internet respond to your prompt, “where have you found healing in unexpected places?” and you get to turn their words into a poem. and, maybe, hopefully, here.
Culture Diary
Laughed a lot while watching I Want You Back. Jenny Slate is perfection in this comedy where two people who’ve been recently dumped, team up to see if they can get their exes back. Spoiler: of course they end up falling for each other.
I’m taking a poetry class this semester called “The Enduring Long Poem,” and we read The Year of Blue Water by Yanyi. A gorgeous collection about mental health, gender, intimacy, and healing through our relationships with others.
You know that I love trashy reality tv shows, and I was so into The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. I’m really here for a show that takes me into a life that is so radically different from anything I’ve ever experienced.
I’d tried reading No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood before and couldn’t get into it — despite having LOVED her memoir Priestdaddy. But it’s assigned reading for one of my classes and on a second go, I’m enjoying it.
I think that the Golden spin-off of The Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise is truly one of the best things on television. Mature, sweet humans trying to find love later in life? Grab the kleenex because it’s truly so heartwarming.
My cat helps me heal all the time. Thanks for posting, Margeaux.
This list is everything, thank you. 💗