Surface Tension

Hand details - Portrait of Andries de Graeff I

Marble, 1885, Rijksmuseum

In our lives, our existence is preserved and maintained by our own bodies. That idea is clear and obvious, but a juicier, more subjective rhythm of thought ought to be explored. We can all sense a location where the phenomenon of our own vitality does seem to exist. From the folds of your heart to the lining of your frontal lobe we each feel a position where the sense of ourselves sits, somewhere that just feels right. The query for us to sink our teeth into is this, where do our souls rest within ourselves?

For the longest of times, I protected my soul by leaving it in the bones of my body. With the most important part of myself locked away to the marrow of my calcified shell, my being sat preserved. Although my internal being lay secured it was not enriched to the buzz of the outside world.

As I’ve grown into life my coordinates of my soul have relocated. As of now I hold my own sense of being right below skin. Closest to where I can feel the heat of the sun is where my soul thrives.

To let your soul sit below the surface requires you to develop your own thick skin. You will grow through friction as you let life form its own calluses around you. Yes, when your soul flows through the capillaries, it's easy to feel the pain from life, but it also makes the pleasure oh so much grander. The sensation of energy becomes something more than just a feeling; it forms into tangible objects that lean up against you with their presence. Objects you can envelop in your being, objects whose ambiguous meaning provide raw overwhelming sensation. That’s what occurs when my soul settles to the most external of internal locations, you feel more. And while I understand why people develop their cocoons, their shells to grow into, that living is no longer for me. I’ll live in the danger of opening my soul to elements of life. I’ll let the energised static of existence flow in and out of my being. I will rely on my own strength to preserve myself against the harsh conditions that exist in bitter corners of the world, but I will also allow myself to be overwhelmed by the raw vitality of living.