All That's Required Of You

"In the end, isn't this all that's required of you?

To drink in what you love,  to concentrate it

in the crucible of your body, 

and, finally, to bloom."

Drinking in what we love...

isn't this the easiest of occupations?

Drinking in the majesty of  

dandelions and mosses,

 earthworms and fungi,

 honeybees, ants and ladybugs,

slugs, spiders, and lichens...

contributing their often overlooked

elegance to our world.

I haven't even gotten to the flowers, trees,

rivers, mountains, ocean and sky yet.

And then there's outer space.

Isn't this intoxicating?

 

When Days Feel Heavy

"Joy that sits beside our sorrow and doesn't walk away."

This is the line that touched my heart and drew me in.

". . .not to erase grief, or answer every question,

but to hold us season after season."

When grief and sorrow take hold of me,

 my strongest inclination is to put as much distance

between us as possible.  To shout NO, NO, NO!

Now I'm asking myself what if I turned toward them?

What if instead of running away, I entered into their space and 

spent some time in their painful presence? 

I can hear the inner voices chiding me for "being negative".

I think I'll ignore them the next time they show up

and see what happens.  It's not negative to be human...fully human.

I realize there are many who are intimately familiar

with their painful, excruciating presence and have no choice

but to show up and live what is happening. 

I bend my knee to you and what you're going through.

Thank you for being here.

May joy find you, always.

 

The Air I Am Breathing

"The elements of the universe are engaged

in their ceremony of delight."

Isn't this delicious?  

"This is my religion."

It cannot be contained inside any building. 

It cannot be contained within a set of beliefs... 

a holy book, 

a closed heart,

or a made-up mind.

They can contribute but not contain...

They can participate but not complete.

 

Listen, I Want To Tell You Something

"I can't tell you what prayer is, but I can 

take the breath of the meadow

into my mouth and I can release it 

for the leaves' green need."

My favorite line, 

a poet's description of photosynthesis. 

in this exuberant cheer

for the countless contributions,

strewn throughout an ordinary day

in this amazing world we live in...

 

The Sun, The Ocean, The Moon, The Trees

Many gems in this tribute to some of Earth's everyday wonders

often taken for granted.  

The sun charging creativity and passion and keeping us warm, 

the ocean healing deeply and literally giving and sustaining life,

the moon reminding us to move with emotion and rhythm,

offering us calm and inspiration, and 

the trees grounding us, modeling patience and strength,

. . .and lessons in how to live rooted and steady.

These words offer me a chance to slow down and

absorb the magnificence of Earth's complexity,

generosity, and dependability. 

It continues to inspire me to do whatever 

I can to honor and protect her from harm.

 

Light Hole

I only know a little about dark holes...

what I do know keeps me at a distance.

Learning that "not even light is fast enough to escape its pull,"

gives a whole new flavor to things.

"Wouldn't it help to name the wide abyss in the center of your

heart a cauldron of brimming hope?

Reading these words and imagining my heart 

as a cauldron brimming with hope is an enchanting affair.

It makes me want to fling open 

the inner doors and windows

so this hope can permeate every vein, 

every artery. every inch

of inner soil.

"There can be no further collapse.

Only the steady evaporaton of a love so singular 

it ends in a flash, a final sung note

made by the immensity of what it carries."

This is so potent when I think of my life force,

with its steady evaporation...

 I find myself lost for words... 

stunned by amazement.

 

Standing Back

"Human or Frog?"

rrrbit rrrbit rrrbit.

No contest.