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And you don’t know what will sprout And you don’t know what will sprout
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Experiences

And you don’t know what will sprout

Maria Czekańska
Reading
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Maria Czekańska:
a poet before her book debut, the [new] editor-in-chief of the online magazine “Śląska Strefa Gender.” Walking on the edge is her passion. She was born in 1995 and lives in Zabrze.

instead of flowers I got seeds
without pots, soil, or light.
I set aside money, bought a garret:
the sun lit up the windowsill,
left the rest of the room dark.

I found help online:
unwittingly I found myself in a community of gardeners.

standing in line once, talking,
I was accused of carelessness,
as I was smoking, and with flowers nearby!

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I’m not smoking, only
smog has crept through the window
and flutters its wings.

months later, I’ve emerged from the shadows
and just now have noticed
the sun lights up more than the windowsill,
and in the flowerpot the lemons are bursting with juice.

Author’s comments:

I wrote this poem in a smoky room on one of those evenings when you look in vain for the light and hold on to the one bright spot in whichever corner with the hope that it will get bigger. The words of Greg Dulli’s song came to me: “Step into the light, baby.” And so, through the music and the haze, with feet dirty from the soil, I stepped into the light. Sosnowski wrote, “A poem leaves the house and never returns.” Read this one, and then create your own story.

Maria Czekańska:
a poet before her book debut, the [new] editor-in-chief of the online magazine “Śląska Strefa Gender.” Walking on the edge is her passion. She was born in 1995 and lives in Zabrze.
Translation: Karen Kovacik
Publish date: 13.07.2023

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Photo by: Aaron Burden/Unsplash
Wellbeing

Mindfulness Exercises for a Cold Day

Magdalena Róża Skoczewska
Magdalena Róża Skoczewska:
a Polish psychologist and psychotherapist, mindfulness teacher and therapist.

Positive reinforcement is the best way to combat self-doubt, negative thinking, and over-criticism. 

A Time of Transformation 

  1. Old things sometimes must decompose, decay, ferment or rot. Try to think about these natural processes in a positive way. Think about delicious pickles, fermented grape juice, dried mushrooms. 
  2. Now think about what you want to change in your life. Maybe it’s a relationship that’s worth ending? Maybe you want to change a job that doesn’t suit you? Get rid of bad habits? Or maybe you just feel that you need to clean out the basement? Choose one issue that is most relevant to you. 
  3. Once you’ve chosen one area to tackle, ask yourself what substance you’re lacking that would help carry out your plans. It could be water, yeast, air, potatoes, musk, rosemary, soda, etc. Let your imagination run wild. What are you missing right now? What form does the missing thing take? The hint is sometimes hidden in the language—we are talking about a lack of financial liquidity or a need for stability. 
  4. Which type of matter did your imagination suggest to you—liquid, gas, or solid? What does it symbolize? What does this symbol mean to you? Meditate on introducing this substance into your situation and think about the change it will cause. Maybe it will make you go with the flow? Or maybe it will allow you to put down roots?

Positive Reinforcement 

  1. What gets stronger within you when you think badly of yourself or see only the negative side of your life? Try to answer this question. 
  2. If you are already aware of what you are reinforcing with such thoughts, think about whether this is what you want. 
  3. Now think about what qualities you would like to develop within yourself. These can be independence, empathy, creativity, etc. For this activity, choose one of the traits that comes to mind, and then think about what behaviors you can adapt that will reinforce it. These can be small actions. 
  4. Positive reinforcement is the best way to combat self-doubt, negative thinking, and excessive criticism. However, remember a very important rule: only strengthen the qualities that you actually have, not the ones that others would like to see in you. By trying to develop unrealistic qualities, you could harm yourself. So first think about who you really are and what you want to nurture within yourself. This is necessary for positive reinforcement to have a chance to work.

Defense Mechanisms 

  1. Our brains produce a plethora of defense mechanisms that help us get through life’s difficulties. The challenge in this case is to leave the mechanism behind when we no longer need it. The problem is that we are usually not aware of the defense mechanisms that are forming—and the ones we created in the past sometimes make us overreact. 
  2. Think about a time when you have behaved poorly to a situation and your reaction was exaggerated. I know it might not be easy —after all, we are often not aware of these mechanisms. 
  3. If you have already recalled such an event, think about what was really behind your behavior. What did you try to hide from yourself? Maybe you were ashamed of something? Maybe you actually felt angry with a completely different person? 
  4. Observe your reactions to different situations. If you find them inadequate, this is the first step to positive change and leaving behind the old defense mechanisms that are no longer needed.
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