(Photo by De an Sun on Unsplash)
She would have gone to bed
And let the mess wait
For the morning,
Or the following
Millennia,
Had it not been for voices
That still
Echoed
From her past
To smudge shame
Onto her
Present.
She grabbed the mop
And filled the pail.
For the dVerse poetry quadrille challenge: smudge
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Na'ama Yehuda 
Hi Na’ama
THANK YOU – more than you will understand why…
Your poem honoured the humble mop!
WOW – I would never have thought that was possible…as you will see 2 photos capture the decisive moment Before and After Pesach 2021
for the first time in my life I made a decision Out with the old In with the new I could no longer tolerate past and present in collision
My critical moment in transition
>
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Thank you, George, and I am glad this spoke to you. Can’t see the photos on my phone for some reason, but will check again tomorrow on the computer.
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Still can’t see any photos. Did you attach them or have a link to where I can view this “critical moment in transition”? 🙂
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It still holds power years later, doesn’t it? Well done, my friend.
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Sure does, don’t it? Though in truth not nearly as tightly as it used to. Yay to getting more distance and a bit more definition with age and time… Xx
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It shore do…
And yes, there are some things it is best to shed… then again, there are worse things to keep 😉
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Totally! I’m all for giving the boot to things that are unkeep-able … and for nudging away those things that are best shed … 😉
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Absolutely. Mick was beaten by his mother but her work ethic stayed with him and he never used her tactics…
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Yes. Exactly. Abuse of ANY kind is not good parenting and work ethics has nothing to do with abuse and can be achieved in many other (and better) ways. We can take what works for us and leave what we believe is harmful, stupid, or plain unnecessary. Growing up is about having the will and discipline (no pun intended) to change what needs changing from what we had no control over as children but do have a choice in now.
(Hobbling off the soapbox …) 😉 XOXO
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No, abuse is not good. And luckily he took only the good part of her work ethic and none of the other stuff.
Though, I will not lie.. there have been times where those cute little boys pushed me to apoint where I would have liked to punch their lights out. Especially the chocolate-covered face one… He knows every single one of my buttons… xoxo
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The difference is that REAL grownups don’t cross from the “point where I would have liked to” to the acting on it loss of control. Feelings are fine. Kids can surely push buttons quite expertly, and some are finessed to the n’th degree in doing so … Having the thoughts/feelings is fine, acting them out is not. You did good, me say.
So sorry about Mick’s history. I think too many of us can relate, and hopefully enough of us stop the cycle so fewer children grow in pain.
xoxo
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I didn’t always.
He didn’t ever complain about it but you could tell that there was no way his boys were going to suffer the same. xoxo
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Well, we do the best we can as we can. And we do better when we can do better. Eh? xoxo
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You for that right. Following Maya”s wise words ..
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xoxo
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xoxo
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Na’ama those taped messages never seem to wear out…
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In some cases, never. In other cases the battery does seem to lose volume and urgency with the passage of years and hopefully the growth in wisdom… 😎
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Those voices come back to haunt from time to time. Good one, Na’ama
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Thanks, Shweta, old tapes are known to do that, don’t they? 🙂
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So many stories can arise from this one simple picture and your powerful words.
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Yay! I’m glad, for it is the stories we tell in response to stories we hear that make … well … good stories! 🙂
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I can really identify with this. I used to feel guilty for leaving the housework. But now I realise that my own peace of mind is more important!
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Same here, Ingrid. It takes time to grow up, doesn’t it? 🙂
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A long time 😅
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😀 LOL
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Incredibly true to life, Na’ama.
יפה מאוד
❤
David
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תודה!
And I’m glad it resonated … 🙂
נעמה
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Makes me more vigilant in the seeking clarity of my own motivations. 😉
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😉 We can all use the reminder, self included! 🙂
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Sometimes you just have to clean up… one layer of mess might be OK… but decades of layers will never work.
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Yep. And decades of old tapes that offer critic and never allow to rest before all chores are done … can be just as hard to clear up … 😉
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Sometimes it is hard to silence those voices.
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Very true! Sometimes it is VERY hard, and sometimes one might pick and choose when the gentler path is to just not fight it at a particular moment/day, and when it is best to stand firm and refuse to accept what no longer works. The words that write on our slate as children make deep marks. For good and bad.
Na’ama
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Good points. I agree. There really are those times when you just have to roll with the voices a little bit, as long as you stay true to your beliefs over experiences. Those deep marks are hard to heal and every layer of self-healing is an amazing milestone.
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Exactly! 🙂
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This is me with dirty dishes in the sink. Can’t go to the bed with a sink full of dirty dishes. Nicely done.
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Thanks, Arcadia! And … as long as it is congruous with your own comfort (and perhaps the motivation that it is nicer to wake up to a clean kitchen), than perhaps it is not a bad thing to do. And yet … 😉 Complicated, eh? 😉
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