Stand up
My mother is 5 ft nothing.
Solid as granite; or at least she was.
Look at her funny in the street and she’d be there in a moment, telling you what was what.
Have you got a problem?
Come here and say that to my face.
Never the one to start trouble.
But she’d put people back in their place.
You see she took people as she found them.
No pretence, polish or bullshit.
She was first class at sticking up for her principles; anything less just wouldn’t cut it.
Never the first; but always the second to blow.
She stood up for what she believed in; fairness.
No matter the foe.
Principled and battered; I wish I had her will.
Amazing to see someone undeterred by the fear of rejection that keeps so many still.
But her greatest strength was clarity; knowing what she wanted.
She’d use 3 words with meaning when verbosity would keep others wanting.
So her secret was in her valour, her principles and her pain...
To ensure, with upmost clarity, no one would be down trodden again.
My greatest learn as I write this is that she spoke with clarity when she didn’t feel worth at all. You see the clarity of what she was asking for, meant she was perceived to be much larger in life than only 5 ft tall.
Some explanation
There are moments in your life when you need to stand tall and stand proud of who you are and what you think.
You’ll grow in stature and understanding, like my mother did, if you do.
For you stand just as much chance of upsetting those around you if you aren’t true by being true to you.
In an ideal world you’ll do this with clarity in the moment as if you’d taken the time to labor the right words in pen and ink.
But sometimes you just have to say what you hope for, what you fear and what you think.
The clarity in your head might be befuddled by the emotions and concerns for the other person upon whom you depend. But with hope and a little perseverance your true intent will filter through in the end.
It would be nice to say everything and have it well received but it doesn’t mean that what you hoped for or aimed to bring wasn’t true; if it causes a less than happy reaction.
Over time it will get easier, as you practice, less clunky, less obtuse; as you get used to using the words you need and worry less about their misuse.
The clarity of what you’re asking and the balance of your intent along with the hopes you have for those you speak with will be clear in the end.
It’s important to me that...
In this situation I felt...
I’m not sure, if I’m honest, that I was clear on your intention...
Would you be open to helping me out...
That way I can understand your point and hope my point of view too because we are so much stronger together when we stand alone as me and you.
No matter what I’ve done in my life; I’m practicing too. It starts with knowing what you want and who you are. I hope I’ve not done too many wrongs on my way to finding out.