Let’s Meet at the Highland

High-land: an elevated, mountainous region where the land is high above the water and many can gather

***

Let’s meet at the Highland

Not at the peak

Not at the ending

Not at the finish line of what you’ve been training for

Let’s meet at the Highland

A resting spot

A place to take stock

Alone

Together

Large enough to fit, all of us

High enough to take in the views

Take in the views

Take in

The views

Breathe

Take in the views

***

Let’s meet at the Highland

A space to look back 

At how far you’ve come

Against all odds

Won’t you celebrate with me?*

Won’t you celebrate with me?

Expansion

Growth

Healing

Joy

Creation

Learning from 

Success

Failure

Disappointment

Shedding

Celebrations

Grief

Intention

Legacy

Take in how far you’ve come

Take in

How far

You’ve come

Breathe

Take in how far you’ve come

***

Let’s meet at the Highland

Where we remember

Where we

Re-member

You are already who you are trying to become**

You are already who you are trying to become

Stop the lists

The goal-setting for next year

The constant, ingrained analysis of how you can

Be better

Get better

Improve

Stop

Stop

Stop

at the Highland

Be still

Breathe

Against all odds: you are, already, who you are trying to become

***

You are enough

You don’t have to 

Unpack

Unravel

Pick at

What could have / should have / would have been this year

You don’t need to share lessons learned right now

You just need to sit

And take it in

Here,

At the Highland

***

Be still

Take it in

Surrender

Surrender into re-membering

Surrender

into re-membering:

What you accomplished this year takes others years

You are more than enough

Breathe

Surrender into celebrating.

Celebrate.

Love, after love.***

***

Odes to:

Lucille Clifton’s won’t you celebrate with me (*)

Dr. Gail Parker (**)

Derek Walcott’s Love After Love (***)

In still of surrender,

Gabrielle