"There's so much uncertainty." said Bear.
"What should we do?" asked Rabbit.
"There's no one answer." replied Bear.
"I know what to do." said Rabbit. "I'll make tea." 
"How does that help?" asked Bear.
"It won't, not really. Only for a moment maybe. But in that moment we can catch our breath."
"And after that?" asked Bear.
"We'll think about that when we get there." said Rabbit.
©Tara Shannon, 2020
"Memories are magic." said Bear.
"I think they're sad." said Rabbit. "How can something sad, be magic?"
"Not all memories are sad. Some are happy and full of love." replied Bear.
"But they're still memories. They're gone, and that's sad." said Rabbit.
"Sad is if they never existed." said Bear. "Memories are proof that those we've loved existed. We can make them appear whenever we need them. That's magic."
“Where can I find hope?" asked Rabbit.
“It’s always there,” said Bear, “waiting to be found. But a good time to find it is at night.”
“Really?” asked Rabbit.
“Yes.” said Bear. “It’s there, nestled amongst the stars, in the form of a promise.”
“A promise of what?” asked Rabbit.
“A new day.” replied Bear.
©Tara Shannon
"I'm afraid of change." said Rabbit. "I wish I could just hide until things are the way they used to be."
"I understand." said Bear. "But change comes whether we want it to or not. It's better to face it."
"Okay..." said Rabbit, uncertain.
"Remember." said Bear. "I'm here with you. You're not alone."
©Tara Shannon, 2020
“Everything isn’t fine.” said Rabbit.
“You’re right, it’s not,” said Bear,
“but somehow we’re going to make it through.”
©Tara Shannon, 2022
“Anxiety doesn’t make sense.” said Rabbit.
“Sometimes it comes out of nowhere when things are good.”
“That must feel scary and uncomfortable.” said Bear.
“It does.” said Rabbit. “At least now I recognize it for what it is and can try to cope.”
“Like taking deep breaths and listening to the birds sing?” asked Bear.
“Yes,” said Rabbit, “but the best, is like now,
when I can just sit and be with you.”
©Tara Shannon, 2022
“I want to do more to help.” said Rabbit. “But we’re so far away.”
“Start here, right now.” said Bear.
“We can’t fix everything everywhere, but we can improve things right where we are. And, if everyone does the same, right where they are… imagine how wonderful the world could be.”
©Tara Shannon, 2022
To just be...
"What's resilience?" asked Rabbit.
"It's getting back up when something knocks you down." said Bear.
"So, it's good to be resilient." said Rabbit.
"It is," said Bear, "but after a while it wears you down and you find yourself wishing you could be something else."
"Like what?" asked Rabbit.
"To just be," said Bear, "for a little while anyways."
©Tara Shannon, 2021
My story (like all of our stories) has taken me many places. Some wonderful, some not so wonderful.
...It hasn't been easy but I own my story.
Sadly, there have been some who couldn't (or wouldn't) continue the journey with me for one reason or another and it's been difficult to lose them. Maybe we'll meet again at some point, maybe we won't. I can't make them understand me in the way I want them to. I can only keep moving forward, living my life -- and writing my story -- as best I can.
***
“Others will open your book to whatever chapter, page, sentence or word they happen to land on.” said Bear. “You can’t make them read your whole book... all you can do is keep writing your story.”
©Tara Shannon, 2021
“What if?” asked Rabbit.
“Don’t waste your time on, ‘what if?’” said Bear.
“What is, is far more important.”
©Tara Shannon 
"We are so different." said Rabbit.
"Yes." said Bear. "But our hearts still beat the same."
©Tara Shannon, 2020
“A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for anything.” said Bear.
“And don’t forget a cup of tea.” said Rabbit.
“Ah yes,” said Bear, “and a good hot cup of tea.”
©Tara Shannon -- inspired by an #irishproverb
With every moment that passes
Every phase of the moon
Sunrise and sunset
There is hope
Look for it
Feel it
Breathe it in
Gives it time
“What seems impossible today may seem less so tomorrow.” said Bear. “Give it time.”
©Tara Shannon, 2021
WHO IS TARA SHANNON?
"I have ADHD and autism, and utilize writing and drawing to process my thoughts and feelings about different things, including my own mental health and grief following the loss of my parents, a pregnancy, and my fears over a cancer diagnosis, and my late in life diagnosis with autism/adhd. I try to simplify my thoughts and feelings, making them visual and into a kind of small story. This process has brought me (and now others) comfort and greater understanding of myself and the world around me."
“You’re doing great.” said Bear.
“That’s all anyone can do… should do.
No worries about yesterday
or tomorrow. Just today.
Keep going.”
©Tara Shannon (updated from an image created in 2020)
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