The Courage to Stay Present

Mirabai's poetry documents her willingness to feel intensely—her longing, her rage at injustice, her sorrow, her ecstatic love. She didn't protect herself from emotion but moved into it with eyes open. On grief anniversaries, the impulse to escape is powerful: distraction, numbing, busyness, or avoidance. Mirabai's example suggests a different path—the courage to stay present. This doesn't mean wallowing but rather conscious witnessing. On the triggering date, you might commit to feeling your feelings without judgment, sitting with them rather than running from them, writing them out, speaking them aloud, moving your body with them. This kind of presence is demanding but ultimately integrative. By refusing to abandon yourself in your grief, you honor both the person who died and your own capacity to love. Presence is a form of devotion.