Contributor: Susie Sweetland Garay

- -
Once while
at the ocean
I was reminded
that in order to
survive and
flourish
what I needed
was to stop
clinging so
tightly.

That I could not
thrive while
I held to
anything
as tightly
as I had
been holding.

I see now that not every
conversation needs
my voice

and I am
learning
to enjoy
the quiet.

I suppose sometimes
We all need to stop
talking and remember
how it feels when a wave
crashes on your skin.


- - -
Born and raised in Portland Oregon, Susan Sweetland Garay received a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Brigham Young University, spent some years in the Ohio Appalachians and currently lives in the Willamette Valley with her husband and 2 cats where she works in the vineyard industry. She spends her free time writing, growing plants and making art. She enjoys finding beauty and meaning in the everyday.