There is my father whispering in my ear, Be still still still. And yet you change everything. What was the marsh like, waiting for the storm before you came and kneeled in the water? It was nothing. Watch after you leave the water, now cold and regretful, miles from home, certain of the belt on your backside, the cold shoulder, the extra chores; watch. Watch the water heal itself of your presence--not to repair injury but to offer itself again should you care to risk another strapping [...].
Interpretation
This quote reflects on the themes of change, regret, and the cyclical nature of existence.
In this quote, Paul Harding explores the relationship between the past and the present, capturing the tension between parental guidance and personal growth. The imagery of water healing after a presence implies that while actions may leave a mark, nature has a way of rejuvenating itself, much like human emotions and relationships that endure through trials and learn to embrace change.
In practice
In a speech about embracing personal growth, one might reference this quote to highlight the importance of learning from the past.
I was ravenous for my child and took to gorging myself in the boneyard, hoping that she might possibly meet me halfway, or just beyond, one night, if only for an instant—step back into her own bare feet, onto the wet grass or fallen leaves or snowy ground of the living Enon, so that we could share just one last human word.
And as the ax bites into the wood, be comforted in the fact that the ache in your heart and the confusion in your soul means that you are still alive, still human, and still open to the beauty of the world, even though you have done nothing to deserve it.
The moment that justice must be paid for by the victim of injustice it becomes itself injustice.
If you can understand the inner life, then you can wear the uniform, the tattoos, or whatnot and realize that the things that are different about us become superficial.
In the largest scheme of things, just as no one has the right to tell us our true value, no one has the right to tell us what we truly owe.
Seems to me that the institutions that function in this country are clearly racist, and that they're built upon racism.
Custom is our nature. What are our natural principles but principles of custom?
This wasn't the person he'd thought he was, or would have chosen to be if he'd been free to choose, but there was something comforting and liberating about being an actual definite someone, rather than a collection of contradictory potential someones.
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