Therapy in a Box

I'm looking up at this blank screen before me and I'm actually feeling a little teary. I gave birth about eight weeks ago and this is the first time since then that I've had the opportunity to sit down unencumbered and type my soul into this ever-patient and forgiving box of wires. I've missed this experience. Words have always been a healthy form of release for me.

Words, well the "right words," never fail. Words are a perfect collection of letters that hold the promise of something unique and profound. We often praise speakers and writers for their acute ability to inspire with their words, but it's really those little letters that deserve so much credit for always being available and open to receive whatever message we ask them to carry. Getting the right combination of words on one page can absolutely change your life. Words are that powerful.

It's really those little letters that deserve so much credit Very often however, I wind up choosing the wrong string of words. But, when it's just me and this keyboard, I've got built in damage control… the beloved "delete" button. The delete button gives the writer the ability to "go for it" without consequence. I can pour out an entirely inane stream of consciousness, just because it feels good to "get it out" and you, dear Reader, are none the wiser. In fact, you have no idea how many times I have used that tool in this very paragraph. Deleting is downright delicious. It's a shame Microsoft Word doesn't make one of those for the mouth.

As I slowly emerge from the tidal wave that is the postpartum experience, I find this time spent alone in front of my computer utterly sacred. My baby is sleeping and I'm not folding laundry, or putting in ponytails or wiping little bottoms, I'm searching for the right words; reaching inside my mind (dulled by sleep deprivation though it is) and trying to create some order out of all the pieces of my life. That's what writing does for me, it helps me isolate a few poignant aspects of my life and encapsulate it. It's like feng-shui for the brain.

Thank You G‑d for these sacred moments. Thank You for creating letters that carry so many beautiful sounds. Thank You for listening.