Small.

We try so hard to stay small.

We try to fit in, to do what’s expected of us, to keep others happy. We stay quiet, never being too loud, too obnoxious.

We confine ourselves, fit ourselves into tiny little compartments. We accept less, we do less, we hide our light under rocks and bushes.

We are trying so hard not to get hurt.

That’s all we want, isn’t it? To be safe from pain. To be safe from the agonies of life.

The irony is, keeping ourselves so small hurts just as much, if not more.

River Dee IV © Sarah Marie Lacy. 24"x30" oil on canvas. Available at the Pilar Shephard Gallery.