#8: A Poem to Genevieve

3/29/2021

Today I am sharing a poem I wrote for Genevieve. In essence it contains bits of wisdom (or insert a less pretentious word here) that I hope to instill in her. I thought of merely writing a letter, but what I appreciate about a poem is the sense of freedom it affords the reader. Rather than simply telling her what I want her to know, a poem allows her to find resonance in the ambiguity and to interpret my words in her own way. I have found my impact in life is often not as I intend it to be, but it is always as it is meant to be. It is never so much about what we say, but rather how we say it and make the other person feel. I have written and deleted several versions of "what I hope Genevieve gets from this poem..." because I want to leave that up to her (when she one day reads this). And also allow you to interpret that for yourself.

Genevieve,

The world is beautiful,
large and vast.
Be curious of lessons
future, present & past.

The world is truly a
conditional yes.
Embrace all of your failures
as an insightful mess.

Be not as others
expect you to be,
you'll forever be becoming
& evolving you see.

With passion ignited a
path will be clear;
but never fear straying from a
route my dear.

Minding that balance
can help you a lot,
strive for alignment
and know when you're not.

Acknowledge the shadows
but live in the light.
Sometimes that'll be easy,
sometimes it'll take might.

Go forward confidently,
authentically you.
Remember no one ever truly
knows what to do.

You're somehow a stranger,
yet someone I know.
I am honored for the privilege
of witnessing you grow.

I am here to support you
and be by your side;
But the journey is yours,
enjoy your own ride.

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Author

I am a self-described learner and lifter-upper. I am pregnant with our first child, though we already have two giant babies at home of the canine variety. Genevieve Ryan is due at the end of May 2021. I am creating this blog as a space for reflection, connection, and an avenue to focus on topics related to pregnancy, birth, and parenting.

I have my degree in elementary education, worked as a private homeschool teacher (emphasis on Montessori and world-schooling approaches), and worked extensively with behavioral science as a dog trainer (specifically related to puppies and overcoming nervous aggression). I have also worked as a program coordinator for a nonprofit related to self development, have leadership training, and dabbled in life coaching techniques. I say all of this to express the breadth of interest in various forms of teaching and to establish a context for the growth-mindset approach I bring.

Why Winging it with Intention?

When I was brainstorming a name for my blog, this one came to me rather quickly. That is because both winging it and intentionality are core values I hold.

“Winging it”, or rather flexibility, represents the notion that we can plan all we want, but deviation is likely to occur and ought to be embraced. It isn’t making wrong the position or philosophy you tried and abandoned, but rather absorbing the learning and moving forward to something not originally planned for the sake of growth and greater resonance.

Intentionality is to express that the winging it isn’t wild and free but rather guided by intention and focus. This means using research, prior knowledge, experience, and shared experiences from valued sources to guide choices, expectations, and actions.

Thus in a nutshell this blog will chronicle my personal journey through parenting as I navigate the path using the best tools and map I currently have, while embracing new tools (and letting go of some) to help me better along the way.