What does she need to say?
What wants to come out and play?
What coiling message waits
To spring forth,
Crying for the light of day?
©Ashley Castle Barnes
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Tag: speak
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Daily Bliss – January 4
The days are brighter,
Her mind calmer,
Still, she can’t help but wonder
And dream of what may be,
What good may come
Of her silent screaming
Once it falls on naked ears
©Ashley Castle Barnes
When my oldest daughter was in kindergarten, I went to her first conference with the teacher, excited to hear how things were going.
My excitement was quickly dashed, however, when she started to give me examples of how my daughter couldn’t stand in line without wiggling or talking or complete assignments without getting off track.
I listened to her and so many of the examples she presented sounded a lot like a child that was bored. And so I asked about that.
Her answer was that my daughter would be given more challenging academic work when she learned to stand in line quietly.
I didn’t know then that later in her life, my daughter would be diagnosed with both ADHD and autism. But I did know that she wasn’t going to succeed on this path.
How often do we see this with adults as well?
Where someone is evaluated more by their ability to conform to a generic standard rather than by their own unique strengths?
Where it’s automatically assumed that they have a personal shortcoming, weakness, or character flaw rather than considering the impact of their environment?
And where they end up prevented from further opportunities because they can’t adequately conform to an arbitrary norm or acclimate to rigid surroundings?
I know I’ve experienced this. So many spaces where I never really did fit in. And the feedback I received reflected that.
But the ones where I felt like I did fit in, where I felt safe and valued – I thrived in those environments. And the feedback I received was very different.
This shapes us as people. It makes us wonder if something is wrong with us. If we should speak up, move on, or just stay quiet and fit in.
Over and over again.
But the world is looking different these days. More voices are being raised.
Professionalism, growth, leadership, authenticity, empathy, and more – it’s all breaking open to reveal and demand better ways of treating humans.
At work, at school, and every aspect of life.
How are you looking beyond the status quo for yourself and others today?
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Daily Bliss – June 6
What if her voice
Were to rise above
The ringing in her ears
To a pitch that even she could hear
Would she try
To drown it out
Or sway to its sweet melody
Calling her to speak
To sing
To shout
©Ashley Castle Barnes
In writing this, my instinct was to end with “sing” instead of “shout”.
I read it and re-read it and it didn’t work that way.
But I recognize in the discomfort around ending with that word the ingrained messaging about being loud.
About shouting specifically. And especially for girls.
We receive messages pretty early about being “appropriate”.
That usually means a lot of things about how we’re supposed to show up, not the least of which is quiet.
But not too quiet. And not too loud.
Definitely not shouting.
Shouting is for anger. Aggression. Strong emotion.
Girls are supposed to be “ladylike”. Composed.
Definitely not shouting.
And so, even at 47, there is an aversion to suggesting that when we find our voice, we might use it to – gasp – shout.
Oh the unlearning about how we’re all “supposed” to be.
What are you shouting about today?
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Daily Bliss – April 28
Let it all out
Write it all out
Make room
In your heart
Your soul
Your mind
For all that wants
To carry you into
Your next waking dream
Let the dream flow
©Ashley Castle Barnes
It’s funny how life sends messages in a variety of ways, and not always in ways we want to hear.
I find that I’ve been getting the same message, over and over recently.
From people at work. From songs. From “coincidental” posts or articles that show up when I’m not looking. Through my own inner guidance when I’m writing.
Some of those I haven’t listened to because they were delivered in a way that was off-putting or offensive.
But it’s hard to ignore even off-putting messages when they come from more than one source.
Especially the inner source. Ugh.
When something is important, it finds a way of getting to us.
Even if that means slapping us in the face (literally or metaphorically).
Some of us just learn the hard way I guess.
(It’s me. I’m the one that learns the hard way!)
What messages are showing up over and over for you lately?
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Daily Bliss – February 26
I’ve been talking to a variety of women about this topic of speaking our truth.
Seems it’s an issue for many.
Which I knew from working with women energetically. The throat chakra is blocked when we repeatedly swallow what should be said out loud.
What I’m also hearing is that so many are refusing to do this anymore.
That the desire to be free at some point supersedes the desire to be nice at all costs.
Where are you on this journey to truth?
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Daily Bliss – February 25
I guess there’s a theme for me this week.
Speaking truth comes with an understanding that truth comes from a deep place inside.
Without tapping into that, it’s hard to bring our truth to life.
And if we don’t tap into our truth, it has a way of slowly poisoning us from within.
We’re made to be unique, authentic beings bringing our unique, authentic truth into the world.
How are you tapping in today?
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Daily Bliss – February 24
Being quiet may keep the peace, but our silence usually only benefits someone else.
Often it’s a matter of our own deep well-being.
It takes courage to speak up and speak out deep truths.
And it takes skill for our truth to be authentic, and not a verbal vomit unloaded and left for others to deal with.
Many of us didn’t learn this. We learned to not rock the boat. We learned it wasn’t safe to speak up.
That may have been true then. But our truth is often different as we grow.
How are old beliefs and fears blocking your truth today?
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Daily Bliss – September 22
Don’t stop
Speaking
Loving
Dreaming
Don’t stop
Seeing the world
Through rose colored glasses
Even when everything
Screams otherwise
Don’t stop
Being you
Cat Lady Poet 