21 Comments
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Julie Kim's avatar

Weird how resilience feels more like this, and less like STRENGTH

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Courtney Martin's avatar

YES. Great way to put it.

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Suzi Banks Baum's avatar

What I love most of all is her little big toe poking out of a hole in her footie pjs, so determined to be free. xoS

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Courtney Martin's avatar

I've always loved that detail! Love that you noticed it.

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Jessica Luginbuhl's avatar

That little book has helped me so

Many times. It was the first book I always consulted on my desk during my years of working in public health. Before I looked at the all the tomes, I’d start small. LOVE. This piece. So happy I discovered it during this wild time. Xo jess

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Courtney Martin's avatar

We are clearly not alone. That little yellow book has made the rounds.

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Jessica Luginbuhl's avatar

Ha! Yes

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Karen Franchot's avatar

Thank you for this today ❤️

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Courtney Martin's avatar

You are welcome!

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Nancy Gruver's avatar

That very same little book is the one I take with me on every trip. It lives in my suitcase. You reminded me to take it out and read it now, too. I bought my copy in a little bookstore in the world trade center about 3 months before 9/11, another time when it helped me immensely. Thank you for the reminder.

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Courtney Martin's avatar

Wow, amazing. It's a book for all the travel, transitions, and crises of this life.

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Susan's avatar

This is exactly what I needed to read - and is going on my 'reread it several times and let it sink in' list. THANK YOU for your words.

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Courtney Martin's avatar

Wow, I'd say "reread" is a massive compliment. Thank you for taking time with my words.

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anda's avatar

I never exercise, but i felt compelled to these days. Took a free zoom yoga class today. I was the only one who showed up, but the instructor held it anyway. It felt like a gift. At the end, we both teared up when i told her i'm from Romania. How unlikely and precious to share time with a stranger, from the isolation of our homes, an ocean apart. Everything feels precious.

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Courtney Martin's avatar

This is so beautiful. I love imagining it. Thank you for sharing.

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Tia Keobounpheng's avatar

I feel this one. I actually used a longer version of that first quote in an artist talk I gave back in 2017. It is a lesson I've been learning on rotation since 2014 and as many times as I have circled through it, I circle again taking something new and being reminded of something old and exhaling everything ... trying to find my feet on the ground. You are not alone.

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Courtney Martin's avatar

Thanks Tia. Totally see this in your journey.

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Keeping Kids in Motion's avatar

Beautifully said. It is indeed laborious to walk through the daily fog. I often stumble and struggle to stand again knowing the path we walk is the one less traveled.

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Courtney Martin's avatar

Me too.

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Julie Williams's avatar

Thank you so much for this essay. I have read it many times and shared with friends. I have parts taped to my desk. I pulled out my Pema books and reminded myself how this works. Your sentence, "I’m trying to resist the urge to stitch it back together with my own shaking hands." hit me like a bolt. The urge to fix it while you are still in shock is visceral. Your naming that anxiety was so helpful to me. It opened up a lot of space, as Pema would say. Thank you.

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Apr 29, 2020
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Courtney Martin's avatar

So hard. But so necessary.

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