A letter from Zaheer: You're not behind... You're listening.
Published 11 days ago • 2 min read
A Letter from Zaheer
You're not behind... You're listening.
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Today is Mother’s Day in Canada where we live. And before anything else, I want to name this:
Mothers, in all their forms, are the reason we’re here. Biological or chosen. Present or distant. Fierce or tender. They are the first rhythm we ever knew. The first warmth. The first disruption. The first grace. They shape our worlds… and the stories we tell about who we are.
And one of the deepest stories they give us is the idea of what it means to care. To create. To carry life. To give it wings... and then let it evolve, as it must.
But even “mother” is a label. And like every label, it holds both meaning and limit.
Because nurturing isn’t reserved for one role. We all mother. Ideas. Projects. Children. Selves. So today, while we honour the title, I want to invite you to loosen it... just enough to see what lives beneath.
The deeper rhythm. The source that mothers everything.
We all mother something. Through presence and rhythm. image: Jody took this in Arequipa, Peru — me feeding a baby alpaca on the side of a quiet street.
You let go of fixing. You stopped chasing wholeness. You paused long enough to see that maybe nothing was ever missing.
And now comes the next temptation... to name this moment.
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Your mind starts reaching again. What is this phase? Am I stuck? Is this burnout? Am I lost?
It needs a label. Because without one, you feel… exposed.
But every label is a wall.
The moment you call this stillness “unclear,” you stop listening. The moment you call it “being behind,” you stop trusting.
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This isn’t a phase. It’s not a lull. It’s not a setback. It’s rhythm; returning.
A deeper intelligence — one that doesn’t speak in metrics — is beginning to surface. Not with noise... But with the clear signal of knowing.
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When we stop rushing, something ancient stirs. Without movement. An effortless peace. Full, complete, whole.
But that silence? It scares the parts of you still addicted to proving you matter.
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The labels say: You should be further along. You need more effort. You’re wasting time.
But the truth is:
You’re not late. You’re listening.
And that changes everything.
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There’s a quiet power in refusing to label the moment. Because labels don’t just name things... they shrink them.
What if you didn’t name this moment at all?
Let it be soft.
Let it be unknown.
Let it be enough.
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A teacher once told me:
“They say this jar is empty. But the space inside it… was never gone.”
That’s what you are remembering now.
The space you are is untouched. Even when the world forgets to see it... And you can't remember what it feels like.
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Pause and reflect:
Where are you still trying to name the moment?
What would it feel like to simply trust it?
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A gentle dare for this week:
For one day, release the label. Let yourself be in-between. No title. No category. No diagnosis. Just you. Listening.
That’s not being behind. That’s being home.
Before you were named, you were already held. Let today be a return to that kind of knowing.
Happy Mother's Day,
Zaheer
P.S. If part of you is still reaching for a label, I get it. I do it too. But we can leave it unnamed, even if for a moment. If you feel you can't, reply and let's chat about it. P.P.S. If you missed my letter from last week, read it here: You're not a project
