On Belonging

I’m noticing how sometimes I act like whether or not I belong is up for a vote. 

Am I welcome?  What do I deserve? What am I worth?

Here is what I want to tell you:

There is no hierarchy of belonging.  Of worth.  Of deserving.

You are the daughter of your ancestors.  This cannot be undone.

You carry the imprint, the layers, of the landscapes you have inhabited.

Here are some of mine, in case I forget:

The myrtle and the mango

The oak and the aspen

The gorse and the gum

The pelican and the cardinal

The woodpecker and the eagle

The tui and the morepork

The gecko and the chipmunk

The pika and the prairie dog

The possum and the mouse

From the Gulf Coast to the Tuki Tuki

From Appalachia to the Rockies

From Mopanui to Te Mata

These layers like paint, like fascia, like skin

Are present even when we can’t remember

Here also is what I want to tell you:

Tend yourself as though you are your most precious possession

Your most precious heirloom from your ancestors

As though it were a matter of life and death

As though your wellbeing is the most precious gift you can offer the world

How would you

Speak

Act

Prioritise

What would you stop and let go of

If you KNEW this to be true?