Ally | The Nature of Sensitivity – A “Living Book” by Gosia Poraj
At an afternoon party I attended when I lived in a small town on a small island, I looked around for someone to talk to. I expected to feel comfortable in the crowd of people milling around, since I knew and liked most of them—my misfit pals. (Was that the party where I overheard someone ask a neighbor, "Is dog hair your sole medium?")
After a while, an acquaintance introduced me to her boyfriend and we the three of us chatted a bit. I felt relaxed enough to be myself to a greater degree than usual. Then the boyfriend turned to my aquaintance and said, about me, "I don't think she's from here." He didn't mean the island where we lived; more like, "I don't think she's from this solar system."
Even in a group of known friends and acquaintances, on an island of artists and oddballs, I sometimes, like that day in that conversation, felt the loneliness of not being seen, heard, or understood. Even if the that comment was meant somewhat humorously and fondly, a pang of longing rose up: Where are my people?
Gosia Poraj has begun writing a book called The Nature of Sensitivity that provides an answer to my question. I say she has "begun writing" because she describes it as a living book:
"Imagine a book that’s alive. After all, which book isn’t? As ideas continually evolve, so too do the chapters."
I'm excited to tell you about Gosia's book because in the reading of what she's created so far, I find my own sensitive self. More specifically, and in a way I don't often encounter in other writings about sensitivity, I find here a connection that address the particular loneliness I felt the day of that party on the island.
Gosia and her writing project a quality I strive to embody in my own life and work—that of shifting our awareness of sensitivity toward fierce pride, toward believing we are not only okay, but wonderful and awesome and worthy of whatever pain our healing requires, individually and collectively.
As Gosia writes in the introduction of her living book:
"While navigating the challenges of sensitivity can often feel overwhelming, this book is designed to guide you through a process of understanding, embracing, and ultimately transforming these challenges into strengths, offering practical tools and insights for greater balance and self-awareness."
Dip into The Nature of Sensitivity for yourself—and consider bookmarking the page or joining Gosia's newsletter, so you can find out more as she writes more.
The Photo Above | Worth It
One winter day back in 2012, when I lived in southwestern Germany, the weather turned bitterly cold, colder than I'd ever experienced. When a friend said, "Hey, let's take a day trip up into the mountains," I gaped. "Are you kidding?" He wasn't, and we went.
The higher elevation and pile-up of snow in the Black Forest ski village of Feldberg, along with a crystal-clear blue sky, brought temperatures down to truly ridiculous, way below freezing—but we bundled up and braved the hiking trails anyway.
I couldn't believe how worth it the cold was. The utter beauty of the striking landscape made me so happy and glad to be alive, no matter the state of my frozen toes. It helped that we could retreat into a warm and fragrant cafe, stomp off the snow, and linger over the best blueberry tart I'd ever tasted.
Wherever in the world you are, whatever is befalling you or the environment around you, I wish you safety, and treats you can offer to yourself and accept for yourself.
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Photo by Grace Kerina
Grace Kerina is the author of Personal Boundaries for Highly Sensitive People and other resources for quiet people. She has more than twenty years of experience helping writers and other creators find their true voices. Get her free ebook 7 Liberating Life Hacks for Highly Sensitive People when you subscribe to her newsletter. She also writes novels as Alice Archer.