This is beautifully written and captures exactly what I am feeling lately between professional, personal, and family commitments and trying to step in when others are unable to shoulder their burden. I feel that I have reached my limit and am worried everything will come crashing down.
I truly appreciate the thoughtfulness you expressed and recognizing we are all burdened and trying to make things work and that suggestions and shoulds may not be the best approach. The importance of maintaining, shoring up our foundations, and making sure the bones are still strong. Sometimes piling on more and more is not what is in our best interests, sometimes we need to work together and support. Thank you!
So, so, so perfect! Your insights about upholding the country are beautiful and painful, and clearly she speaks to home and relationship, but I also went straight to what’s necessary to hold up friendship, which is its own burden, and has its own dull parts, and needs love and attention just as much. “The kind of love called maintenance”— what a rich idea.
Thank you, Beth, for this beautiful piece—our sentiments exactly. It's time to focus, identify what we can change, and take small steps in that direction. Standing FOR things, not AGAINST things, is the way forward.
Well said, and thank you Beth. I agree whole-heartedly. Although I cannot participate in protests or rallies in person, I hope that I'm playing my part by making small donations to those pro-democracy organizations that are sending others who are able to do so. I'd also like to thank you and Sarah for helping us all tolerate this madness that is the government right now! If it weren't for your podcast, I'd have lost my mind ages ago!!
This is my favorite poem! I recently framed a print of it to hang on the wall in my favorite room of the house. Thinking about the idea of maintenance a lot these days, in the context of my workplace, my community, my marriage, and my spirit. Thanks for your beautiful words today Beth!
Well said. Maintenance is essential, work of dignity and value. Done well, it's invisible - things operate smoothly, and don't break. Done with others, it can be fun, a chance for bonding.
Other cultures seem better at this, elevating maintenance to an art and a profession. I recall my first dinner in Italy, where the waiter prepared the broiled fish at our table. He expertly filleted the fish, whisking butter, herbs and wine into the drippings, and then ladled the fragrant creamy sauce over the fish. Divine! I realized then that it's an honor to serve others, rather than a chore. What a difference it's made in all aspects of my life.
I think now is also an excellent time to set some things down. Reevaluate whether we need to be holding certain weight or if we just are because we always have. Recently when one of my mom friends at church and I were approached about helping lead Sunday school, we didn't say yes.
We also didn't just say no. I asked to meet with the priest and the Sunday school leaders and explained to them that my friend and I are both drowning. We each have a bunch of neurodivergent kids we are homeschooling, we each are struggling with chronic illness, we each have husbands who are depressed and struggling to function and who do not participate in church life with us at all. Just getting the kids ready and making it to church at all is too hard some weeks.
But then I also offered the observation that because they were reaching out to us for help, the rest of the church body seems similarly tired and worn down. So I suggested that they also consider stepping back and taking a break. I spoke to them about Jesus calling us to rest and telling us his burden is easy and his yoke is light. Rest is sacred and holy (Shout out to Tricia Hersey for illuminating this so beautifully through her work).
I suggested that because life is so hard right now, we should be doing less, not more. And they talked about it and decided to switch to doing Sunday school every other week to give teachers a break and a chance to participate in the regular church service more often. And it has been lovely.
We aren't having a shortage of volunteers anymore, we set up a little space on one side of the sanctuary for the kids to sit with us in church and the older ones read and whisper together and the little ones scribble furiously with crayons and spill snacks on the floor and we are together and everyone is more relaxed and happy.
Sometimes we just need to give people permission to set the world down and rest. There is much that needs to be done urgently right now...but we should be cautious and intentional about what we are giving our time and energy to right now especially, because much is being demanded of us and I think more still will be needed in the near future.
Thank you for this. I’m feeling the overwhelm of life and work and society. I often feel the weight of caring too much in my own fragile brain, arms, and heart. I like that this poem and your reflection recognized the collective weight of these burdens, not by denying their presence or importance, but by facing it and accepting it as a duty of love. I’ll be sharing this with others. ❤️
This was a beautiful take on maintenance, and to some extent what it means to be a contributing part of community. I love the visual of Atlas and find so much encouragement in how to face the world spinning around us now by steadying my feet and raising my arms to share my strength. Thank you!
This is beautifully written and captures exactly what I am feeling lately between professional, personal, and family commitments and trying to step in when others are unable to shoulder their burden. I feel that I have reached my limit and am worried everything will come crashing down.
I truly appreciate the thoughtfulness you expressed and recognizing we are all burdened and trying to make things work and that suggestions and shoulds may not be the best approach. The importance of maintaining, shoring up our foundations, and making sure the bones are still strong. Sometimes piling on more and more is not what is in our best interests, sometimes we need to work together and support. Thank you!
💜
This is wonderful and was very fitting for my Monday morning. After a weekend of trying to keep it all together I know I need to reflect on this.
"After the revolution, who's going to pick up the garbage on Monday morning?" -- Mierle Laderman-Ukeles in The Maintenance Art Manifesto, 1969 https://queensmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Ukeles-Manifesto-for-Maintenance-Art-1969.pdf
For another artwork, she shook the hands of 8500 NYC sanitation workers and thanked them for "keeping New York City alive"
So meaningful to me today, Beth. Thank you.
This is SO good and a helpful reminder to me. Thank you, Beth
So, so, so perfect! Your insights about upholding the country are beautiful and painful, and clearly she speaks to home and relationship, but I also went straight to what’s necessary to hold up friendship, which is its own burden, and has its own dull parts, and needs love and attention just as much. “The kind of love called maintenance”— what a rich idea.
Thank you for these words. I definitely needed to hear this.
Excellent outlook. Thank you.
This is beautiful. Thank you Beth.
Thank you, Beth, for this beautiful piece—our sentiments exactly. It's time to focus, identify what we can change, and take small steps in that direction. Standing FOR things, not AGAINST things, is the way forward.
Well said, and thank you Beth. I agree whole-heartedly. Although I cannot participate in protests or rallies in person, I hope that I'm playing my part by making small donations to those pro-democracy organizations that are sending others who are able to do so. I'd also like to thank you and Sarah for helping us all tolerate this madness that is the government right now! If it weren't for your podcast, I'd have lost my mind ages ago!!
This is my favorite poem! I recently framed a print of it to hang on the wall in my favorite room of the house. Thinking about the idea of maintenance a lot these days, in the context of my workplace, my community, my marriage, and my spirit. Thanks for your beautiful words today Beth!
I want to do this now!!!
Well said. Maintenance is essential, work of dignity and value. Done well, it's invisible - things operate smoothly, and don't break. Done with others, it can be fun, a chance for bonding.
Other cultures seem better at this, elevating maintenance to an art and a profession. I recall my first dinner in Italy, where the waiter prepared the broiled fish at our table. He expertly filleted the fish, whisking butter, herbs and wine into the drippings, and then ladled the fragrant creamy sauce over the fish. Divine! I realized then that it's an honor to serve others, rather than a chore. What a difference it's made in all aspects of my life.
I think now is also an excellent time to set some things down. Reevaluate whether we need to be holding certain weight or if we just are because we always have. Recently when one of my mom friends at church and I were approached about helping lead Sunday school, we didn't say yes.
We also didn't just say no. I asked to meet with the priest and the Sunday school leaders and explained to them that my friend and I are both drowning. We each have a bunch of neurodivergent kids we are homeschooling, we each are struggling with chronic illness, we each have husbands who are depressed and struggling to function and who do not participate in church life with us at all. Just getting the kids ready and making it to church at all is too hard some weeks.
But then I also offered the observation that because they were reaching out to us for help, the rest of the church body seems similarly tired and worn down. So I suggested that they also consider stepping back and taking a break. I spoke to them about Jesus calling us to rest and telling us his burden is easy and his yoke is light. Rest is sacred and holy (Shout out to Tricia Hersey for illuminating this so beautifully through her work).
I suggested that because life is so hard right now, we should be doing less, not more. And they talked about it and decided to switch to doing Sunday school every other week to give teachers a break and a chance to participate in the regular church service more often. And it has been lovely.
We aren't having a shortage of volunteers anymore, we set up a little space on one side of the sanctuary for the kids to sit with us in church and the older ones read and whisper together and the little ones scribble furiously with crayons and spill snacks on the floor and we are together and everyone is more relaxed and happy.
Sometimes we just need to give people permission to set the world down and rest. There is much that needs to be done urgently right now...but we should be cautious and intentional about what we are giving our time and energy to right now especially, because much is being demanded of us and I think more still will be needed in the near future.
"Sometimes we just need to give people permission to set the world down and rest." ... I will be thinking about this for a long time!
I love this so much. 😭❤️
I love this so much. Thank you for articulating this so beautifully.
This is wonderful! Evaluating & re-evaluating how we do things is so important!!
I love this. And I tell everyone (EVERYONE) to read Tricia Hersey.
YES. My copy of Rest is Resistance is sitting beside me right now.
Her teaching has literally changed my life in a profound way. She is amazing.
This is BEAUTIFUL.
Thank you for this. I’m feeling the overwhelm of life and work and society. I often feel the weight of caring too much in my own fragile brain, arms, and heart. I like that this poem and your reflection recognized the collective weight of these burdens, not by denying their presence or importance, but by facing it and accepting it as a duty of love. I’ll be sharing this with others. ❤️
This was a beautiful take on maintenance, and to some extent what it means to be a contributing part of community. I love the visual of Atlas and find so much encouragement in how to face the world spinning around us now by steadying my feet and raising my arms to share my strength. Thank you!