How Do You Tell
How do you tell someone
what it's like to be free?
Free from
the shame
the shoulds
the can'ts
the musts
To be intrinsically motivated by
curiosity
the delight of discovery
the excitement of learning something new
the wonder and joy of connection to the unknown
To see this world as full of
possibility
creativity
love
grief
rage
pleasure
pain
despair
repair
reclamation
To pursue consciousness
conscientiousness
awareness
presence
as the greatest aspiration and privilege of humankind
How do you tell someone
in words that they will understand
metaphors they will embrace
thoughts they will receive
ideas they will contemplate
You can't.
You can only show through acts
of love
compassion
empathy
openness
courage
consideration
humility
A sermon they can see is louder than any from a pulpit.
About the author
I'm Morgan Motsinger. I hold a BS in Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience from Portland State University, and I host P.S. We Expire, a podcast about grief, death, and what it takes to live well anyway. I also spent fourteen years caring for my daughter Anni, who died in 2022 (MPSIIIa). I write about grief from both sides of that — what the research says, and what it's actually like inside. Nothing here is medical advice, and I'm not a clinician. It's the explanation I wish someone had handed me.