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Another wonderful essay Josh 👍

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Cheers, much appreciated Brian

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Two thoughts sprung to my mind reading this piece. The first one is the idea that the pearl is created by the irritation inside the shell. The second thought is my journey of infertility and how it stripped me of my unclear desires, some of which were programed into me, and my foggy-like awareness of life, my personal life, and the relation between the two. I'm simultaneously sad about no children and proud of how I danced with infertility and the clarity that dance brought that developed a deeper love for people in general.

May I refer to your article in one of my future publications? How you are able to bring clarity with a lilt of poetry is quite awesome.

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Hi Renee. Thanks for the kind words and sure please feel free to refer to the article.

The metaphor of the pearl and the shell really captures what I was trying to convey. It is both inspirational and humbling in how you've managed, through the prism of acceptance, to use that pain as a way of cherishing the threads that bind us all as beings. I must admit, I'm still grappling with accepting challenging and painful situations with equanimity but I try and make a sincere effort each time. You are absolutely right in that it is a dance that carries with it a profound wisdom.

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I don’t think I realized just how much courage was required when I started down this path. Yet it seems like the only way to find any real peace.

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That is absolutely how I feel too. At some point in the journey, it felt tremendously freeing, like a weight off my chest. Having said that, there are times when I struggle in confronting certain challenges, but I try and remain committed to facing up to as much as I can.

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This is so beautiful, Josh. You’ve captured a truth that still comes as a surprise to me -- that stripped down feeling, when only the essential matters. This almost always comes for me during a time when I am forced by acute discomfort or pain to just stop moving and trying to escape it.

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