POWERFUL GENTLE

     There's a difference between a touch that is gentle, and one that is more like a dead fish. Behind true gentleness, it seems to me, there is power. It is the restraint of power and the choice to be soft that makes it feel nurturing to the recipient. It is firm, and strong even, but harsh in no way. It is the very strength behind the gentleness that provides the sense of comfort and support. It is touch filled with tenderness and a vast reservoir of loving kindness.
     The dead fish touch, on the other hand, may attempt at gentleness, but comes across with a distinct element of creep instead. I had my hair cut yesterday, and the gal who shampooed me had just such a touch. I believe she meant well. I believe she was trying to be gentle, but it was so soft that it felt excruciating instead. Her touch was weak and under spoken and full of temerity. It made me want to get away.There was nothing soothing about it.
     But it got me thinking about touch, and being gentle, and what gentle really looks like and feels like; not what I have unconsciously supposed for all these years. Gentle, it seems to me now, is generous in spirit and backed by wisdom, and a courageous heart. More than anything else, it is an irreplaceable gift of strength subdued.

I appreciate genuine gentleness, and recognize that there's more to it than initially meets the eye.