The Exercise of Gentleness

[The Stage is on Fire] is a page-turner in which, much like life, there are no easy answers and yet each step of the journey yields insight and hope. This work of heart must not be missed!

Melanie Faith

Creative Writing Teacher, Essayist & Poet.

Katie Steedly’s first-person piece [The Unspeakable Gift] is a riveting retelling of her participation in a National Institutes of Health study that aided her quest to come to grips with her life of living with a rare genetic disorder. Her writing is superb.

The Society of Professional Journalists

In recognition of receiving the Dateline Award for the Washingtonian Magazine essay, The Unspeakable Gift.

I thank you … It is the authenticity of your “class notes”; and it is the delicacy and skill with which you present the nuances of classroom life and the actuality of your students’ and fellow teachers’ lives.

Maxine Greene

Philosopher and Education Scholar

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The Exercise of Gentleness

I have no power of miracle other than the attainment of quiet happiness, I have no tact except the exercise of gentleness. – Oracle of Sumiyoshi
– Oracle of Sumiyoshi

What is gentle?

Chamomile tea is gentle. High thread count sheets are gentle. Bubble baths are gentle. The fur under a cat’s chin is gentle. My best friend’s laugh is gentle. Puffy clouds are gentle. Fleece is gentle. Gentle in a world of hard edges, cliffs, blind turns, and dead ends can seem risky, and even a bit dangerous. That makes gentle even more important.

The things we don’t lose when we are gentle.

We don’t lose power. We don’t lose strength. We don’t lose our cool. We don’t lose connection with ourselves and others. We don’t lose presence. We don’t lose heart. We don’t lose minutes. We don’t lose hope. We don’t lose sleep. We don’t lose vision. We don’t lose compassion. We don’t lose softness.

The things we gain when we are gentle.

We gain breath. We gain calm. We gain connection. We gain joy. We gain happiness. We gain center. We gain peace. We gain clarity. We gain balance. We gain ease. We gain understanding. We gain the support. We gain ourselves.

The exercise of gentle.

We are asked to be gentle. We are asked to create still waters. We are asked to be still. We are asked to look inward. The benefit of being gentle far outweighs the cost. I am not filled with regret – reliving mistakes and missteps, again, again, and again – when I am gentle. My conversations are deeper when I am gentle. I am content when I am gentle. I am able to live gratefully when I am gentle. I am fully present and awake when I am gentle. We must look for gentle.