But there’s this lovely metaphorical thing – the way bitter herbs and bitter greens and bitter foods in general help with digestion. And how avoiding bitterness entirely, rejecting it, can make it harder to digest things.

It’s a good metaphor.

And you’ve long believed that envy is a valuable guiding emotion – it points you to your own unmet needs.

And anger is a valuable guiding emotion – it points you to injustices.

Both of those are equally shame-filled and unacceptable emotions, and you’ve chosen, intentionally and after a lot of thought, to reject (as much as you’ve been able) to reject that narrative of unacceptability.

And maybe bitterness is a valuable guiding emotion, too, though you haven’t quite figured out what it points to, yet.

Or maybe it’s not a guiding emotion, maybe it’s something different. Maybe it fits the metaphor more tightly, maybe it’s a digesting emotion. Maybe the things that make you envious and the things that make you angry or the other unpalatable things that tend to sit in your stomach uncomfortably, maybe they benefit from a little bitterness to speed the digestion. To perform the inner alchemy that releases the nutrition and fuels you.

Not too much bitterness, of course. Like anything, balance. Bring some awareness, intention, and compassion to this presence with your bitter self.

Let it be sharp on your tongue.

Let it be what it is, and then let it alchemize into something useful.

Love,
Me

#100loveletters