Oh do you have time
to linger
for just a little while
out of your busy
and very important day
for the goldfinches
that have gathered
in a field of thistles
for a musical battle,
to see who can sing
the highest note,
or the lowest,
or the most expressive of mirth,
or the most tender?
Their strong, blunt beaks
drink the air
as they strive
melodiously
not for your sake
and not for mine
and not for the sake of winning
but for sheer delight and gratitude-
believe us, they say,
it is a serious thing
just to be alive
on this fresh morning
in this broken world.
I beg of you,
do not walk by
without pausing
to attend to this
rather ridiculous performance.
It could mean something.
It could mean everything.
It could be what Rilke meant, when he wrote,
You must change your life.
~Mary Oliver
ease is a myth, really…….we can’t love completely, live like we know what we’re doing, and give our hearts….all without making a lot of wretched mistakes….
inquiry for today~ who do you forgive when all goes down? when you’re lost? how do you begin again?
A form of invented suffering is the pain of feeling owed. Of having leapt, taken our turn, done our very best work and not getting the results we expect (and deserve).
The danger and fear and oppressive anxiety often push us away from contributing. But when we do contribute, having experience so much in our internal narrative, our instinct is to demand gratitude. And prizes. And an end to the suffering we’ve created. When success doesn’t occur, the easiest thing is to walk away and not make the mistake of speaking up ever again. The most important thing to do, though is to do it again, to care again and to seek to make change, again. ~Seth Godin
