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paperkingdoms's avatar

This is making me think of one of the songs I used to mark a leaving many years ago - that comes back around again and again:

"If you'd asked the child I once was

What she would not become

She would tell you the tale of all the things

That since that day I have done

What the seed has become" (A Flower from Inside of Eden, Cosy Sheridan)

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Pavini Moray's avatar

Love this. I am going to listen to the song now.

I also like the idea of a song to mark a leaving, and when I think on it, it's a familiar practice.

Jennifer's Body by Courtney Love being one that comes to mind.

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paperkingdoms's avatar

The spiritual tradition of mix tapes (and cds, and playlists...) is one I knew and practiced before I found dance floors...

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Pavini Moray's avatar

Yes! I hadn’t thought about it as a spiritual tradition, but you are 100% right

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paperkingdoms's avatar

Maybe not always a spiritual practice, but absolutely sometimes!

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Kori's avatar

Spoken direct with love to my past selves, thanks P.

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Pavini Moray's avatar

I love your past selves, dear one.

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rosejayada's avatar

Yes! So much yes to this. I have also been reflecting this as I let go of relationships and situations (and situationships) that don’t work for me anymore. Part if it is a developmental process as I get older and have a much more visceral sense of how short our time here is, but also I have been doing Internal Family Systems work in therapy. So so important to grieve the parts of me that are dissolving and no longer have what they think is an important job to do. Because my authentic self is now taking up more and more space in my world, and those defense mechanisms and hiding places are no longer needed. Lots of love for you Pavini! I adored your post initiation self and still adore the evolving human you are❤️

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Pavini Moray's avatar

I love hearing all of this. I hadn’t quite pieced together the part about the visceral awareness of remaining time, but I definitely have that in terms of my purpose. So it makes sense to apply it here too. I like thinking about it as a developmental process.

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Maddox's avatar

Yes this. I struggled so long with feeling inadequate in relationships because of the boundaries I needed to have respected. It took so long to embrace them as self-care and love.

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Pavini Moray's avatar

And grief for how long, too.

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Ari Zadel's avatar

We are always changing. Even how we perceive the change can change. I love your clarity and willingness to pay attention to our humanity in the midst of it all and grieve what is asking for a funeral.

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Rochelle Irene's avatar

For days I couldn’t take a a full breath and when I read this my whole system calmed down I was able to digest or assimilate the effects of a shedding identity. Thank you for this writing.

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Pavini Moray's avatar

I'm so glad it helped you breathe!!!

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