This shaped me, what shaped you?

Desiderata 1

When I was growing up we had a poem hanging in the powder room (fancy for what we used to call a “bathroom”) off my kitchen. I likely read the poem over 5,000 times in the 14 years I lived in that house. 

Of course, I memorized it; how could I not? What was less obvious was how profound an effect Desiderata would have over my entire life. In fact, who would have known then that this poem would create the scaffolding and template for who I would become as a woman, wife, mother, friend? For that, I’m eternally grateful. I want to share what I learned from Desiderata and how I apply its teachings to life in the 2000s.

I am writing a series highlighting the 13 messages Desiderata communicates. I am also connecting how these messages relate to my work as a relationship therapist. Here goes...

“GO PLACIDLY amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.”

Placidly, not passively. There’s a lot going on around us and between us. Sometimes it makes the most sense, in the moment and for a while, to simply be silent. You have the right to seek peace, and so do the most important people in your life. 

Give it a try and see how it feels to be placid and silent.