Tether Yourself
I posed a question in my journal recently and the answer I received prompted me to recall a narrative titled, Tether Yourself. Typically I monitor my intake of daily news in the same way one needs to be mindful with a party-size bag of chips, a bottle of wine, an endless buffet of temptations. I must master restraint lest I make myself ill with excess. I control my news content far better when I stick with print media, but sometimes the lure of the headlines will open a door to streaming coverage and sweep me away with its current. I was feeling out of sorts lately after a lengthy news binge and I so I turned to my journal.
“Daily news from around the world easily tips me off my center. Staying grounded amidst news that feels incredibly overwhelming and also personally offensive is my struggle, and sometimes I want to forget about all the bad news, stay home and ignore the pleading calls for help. That’s how I see the world - a Whoville of unanswered distress signals. How can anyone with a conscience ignore it? What can I do?”
(The Whoville reference is from the Dr. Seuss book, “Horton Hears a Who”. Horton, with his giant ears, detects an SOS signal coming from a microscopic universe sitting on the petal of a nearby flower, and Horton can’t rest until he finds someone to help him rescue the unseen Who’s who are suffering.)
As I wrote “what can I do,” I immediately heard “Tether yourself.” I picked up my phone, opened the photos, and scrolled back to an almost forgotten screenshot I took in 2018. I have not read the full text in that image in years, and yet I never removed it from my phone either. The poem, “Tether Yourself,” written by a mom to her teenager, had made an impact when I first read it six years ago, and it has been waiting all this time for me to rediscover it and share it with you now. I hope it helps you find solace for yourself, or a family member, as it has helped me.
Tether Yourself by Rachel Macy Stafford
Tether yourself
To real people, real conversations, and real scenery.
Tether yourself
To furry animals, interesting books, good music, the great outdoors.
Tether yourself
To spatulas, hammers, cameras, paintbrushes, and yoga mats.
Tether yourself, I say.
So you don't drift away too soon
So you don't forget your worth
So you don't miss the moments that make life worth living
And now I say it to you, my friends.
Tether yourself in love.
It's what we must do for ourselves.
It's what we must do for our children.
It's what we must do for each other.
The thought of picking up a device that will negatively influence our thoughts, our choices, our actions, and our future happiness is quite sobering. When your worth is in question ... when you feel lost and alone... when you feel sad and can't explain why, tether yourself to real life.
Tether yourself to real people.
Tether yourself to real love.
And I will help you set limits because I know [you] feel pressure to be available 24/7. But you need and deserve time to be alone with your thoughts, doing things you enjoy, without constant pressure and interruptions from the outside world. ..
You can always hold onto me.
I love you,
