Our fragility is part of our humanity. The fact that our bodies can be so easily broken, our hearts broken, our emotions torn apart, is testament to this fact. The feeling of emptiness, of wanting and longing, is as natural a part of being human as the tide rolling in to greet the shore.
Authentic experiences, no matter how difficult or heart-wrenching, often provide the impetus for change. A new beginning. A chance to say “I’m sorry.” A chance to do something better. A chance to re-imagine, re-invigorate, re-vitalize. Authenticity is a wonderful gift to give, especially when one can share it on equal terms with other adults in intimate relationships.
If feelings of fragility become overwhelming, they can often be calmed this time of year (in the Northern Hemisphere at least), because the views of the expansive and never ending sky and the heat that goes on forever often draws us to water.
In particular, I do love the ocean. Its unceasing tides and waves and currents reminds us of the steadiness that we all carry and hold within us as part of a grander cosmic and spiritual rhythm. Steady, strong, ever able to be calm, ever able to soothe chaos and expansiveness into tranquility. This is what our children need from us as they learn to balance their own strength and fragility in an authentic way.
Keep striving,
Carrie
The Parenting Passageway 
A lovely post, beautifully written. For me its the opposite. Summer’s heat makes me feel more fragile, sapping me of strength. And the ocean is a scary place for me. I find no peace there. As a mother I am always reminded that what is the authentic way to peace for me is not necessarily the same for my child. I find that achieving balance between our different needs is the constant work of motherhood. Your post reminded me of this 🙂
I love the ocean too, and carried that image during labor of the waves always coming back to shore.
fragile is the word. as a parent, I feel so fragile when exposed to judgement (my imagination, possibly) and doing it differently than others. I do hear the beauty of it bringing us to new beginnings. and old endings too. thank you for another descriptive view of motherhood. there are so many. and all a gift.
Thanks for that image of the ocean. Yes I love the rhythmic back and forth, of the waves and the tide. The vastness is comforting for me.