Damage, via Nick Flynn, or Happy Spring
"The thing about damage is that if you can lead someone right to it, like
a sleeping bear, point to it, say, shhhh, donʼt wake him, then it likely is already
toothless. At least for the winter months. Come spring everyone is damaged, all
over again, whether they talk about it or not. Itʼs just the world waking up. Itʼs the
sap running through the trees, itʼs the ice starting to thaw. Whatever damage has
been sleeping is now awake, once more. True damage is not merely a
reenactment of past turmoil, but part of nature, embodied somehow. Thatʼs why
itʼs a good idea to stretch out each morning, if just to be aware of where in your
body the damage is lurking today."
From Nick Flynn's essay What is the Wind (the allure of the damaged man)
He's a marvelous writer and poet, and it's a terrific essay, especially if you've had a baby, or are afraid of having a baby, or were afraid of having a baby, or even if you just like good writing discussing damage, and believe in the possibility of healing or the impossibility of healing but nonetheless the beauty and danger of Spring resonate for you.