Sit soft
On sitting comfortably and a couple of gentle reminders
Yesterday during my lunchtime co-writing session, I shared a couple of writing prompts, one was a poem from this collection by Mary Oliver and one was ‘Sit soft’.
‘Sit soft’ is a saying that my lovely older sister shared with me that came from her husband’s side of the family… And is drawn from the idea of rather than crowding around in a huddle uncomfortably, you find a place or a space (ideally with sofas or similar) and ‘sit soft’.
Often in our house, we congregate in the kitchen, gathering where there is food and a kettle but it is not particularly soft or comfy in that space. Very often, despite its size, I end up in a small square of space in our kitchen, very often in the the way of others and very often uncomfortable.
To ‘sit soft’ is to pay attention to your surroundings, it’s an active retreat from the hard and firm, a conscious decision to move away from that which keeps you on edge and a counter to that makes it harder to connect to those around you.
Right now, ‘Sit soft’ feels like pretty sage life advice and particularly pertinent in a world that feels full of rough and spiky edges.
So I invite you now to consider…
Can you ‘sit soft’ for a moment?
Where feels most comfortable?
Or if you’re not quite there yet, can you invite the idea of ‘sitting soft’ into the rest of the week?
If you fancy sitting soft together, join me tomorrow (Wednesday 26th March) for another co-writing session from 9:15 - 10:30 UK time.
I am genuinely a little teary and so very delighted by the response to my new Small Acts of Attention card sets, I can’t actually believe this but there are now only two sets left.
One small moment in your day.
A time to pause.
A little while to reflect.
One word.
One small act of attention.
Introducing Small Acts of Attention a set of word cards that can be used to help kindle your imagination.
Whether you are looking for some daily inspiration, a moment of quiet reflection or would like a prompt to help you journal or write, each card is intended to be an invitation to help spark a moment for you to pause and reflect.
Fancy a set of your own? Head to my website to find out more.
As a little gift to anyone who purchases a set before 15th April, I’ll be running a free workshop on Friday 25th April on Small Acts of Attention which you can either join live or receive a recording of afterwards if you can’t attend on the day.
Yesterday my husband said, ‘shall we sit at the table’. I thought to myself that would be sitting ‘hard’. I asked him ‘why do you want to sit at the table’ and he said it would be more romantic.😂
We say “shall we sit back” that comes from the other side of our family. We say it kind of as a joke (there is some other context) but actually you’ve made me see it in a new light. I much prefer sit soft. Loved this post. Thank you x