To Love Life

Holding my life "like a face

between my palms", 

and seeing it as a 

precious loved one

gives me a quietly tender

way to see things with fresh eyes.

"a plain face, no charming smile,

no violet eyes." 

Here's me. 

With my one and only life,

held reverently.

Saying yes.

kastilwell

 

All This Is Simply To Say

This quote comes from MLK's

Letters from a Birmingham jail in 1963.

I am chagrined I am unfamiliar with his words

as they are timeless and powerful.

They resonate with relevance today, 50 years later.

I'm asking myself what does it take?

Must the evolution of humanity take so long?

Then, I'm reminded of Earth Time.

Comparatively speaking,

If Earth were 24 hours old,

humans have only existed for 77 seconds!

Now I must focus on making

my miniscule but vital portion

as genuine as possible and

contribute as much goodness

as I can muster.

kastilwell

She Slipped Through the Gaps

"she could sit beneath its shade and disappear--

or perhaps more rightly, she could show up. As herself."

This is the line that captures my imagination.

How to disappear from the performance part of oneself,

where judgement and assumption and expectations reside.

How to show up exactly as you are, in the moment,

in alignment with the natural world so often unnoticed,

wandering attentively along the pilgrimage

of your unique and precious way.

kastilwell

 

We All Travel

 This quote is a wake up call

for someone who walks forest wilderness every day

and tends toward taking it for granted.

Spending more time with the Milky Way

might be the antidote. 

kastilwell

PS: pronouns were adjusted in this quote.

Once Upon A Time

 I imagine this applies even to those of us who can't sing.

These days, our songs may be lamentations

but, no matter, heartfelt lamentation transforms to joy

for as we mourn so we rejoice.

There's a natural order to it.

The world has ears for all of it.

kastilwell

Take Care of Yourself

"Be there for all these things."

These words are such a comfort.

It's refreshing to realize

the place to start

is by seeing to your own well-being.

That's where we seed

that well-being into the rest of life.

If we are compassionate toward ourselves

 it flows outward

and nourishes others.

kastilwell

My Species

Patience has never been my strong suit.

However, there is something infinitely

comforting about the idea of 

 my own "bittered and darkening waters"

"growing tender and sweet."

Not so keen on being boiled

but its all metaphor.

Couldn't you say being alive

is the equivalent of being boiled?

kastilwell