Dorianne Laux says:
For the Sake of Strangers
No matter what the grief, its weight,
we are obliged to carry it.
We rise and gather momentum, the dull strength
that pushes us through crowds.
And then the young boy gives me directions
so avidly. A woman holds the glass door open,
waits patiently for my empty body to pass through.
All day it continues, each kindness
reaching toward another–a stranger
singing to no one as I pass on the path, trees
offering their blossoms, a retarded child
who lifts his almond eyes and smiles.
Somehow, they always find me, seem even
to be waiting….
On this day, I am blessed to wake up happy. It’s my nature, more days than not. I don’t mean that I’m unfamiliar with the state Rumi describes when he speaks of waking up empty and frightened, but more often than not I wake up aware of my inner joy. Such a gift!
Just outside my back door stands a magnificent golden lily. It’s taller that I am, and bears eight large blossoms in full flower. Nearby, roses, corn, and tomato plants will stretch upward toward the sun today.
Last night I dreamed of Kenton, a long ago love. In the dream, he smiled and looked the same as in those long gone college days. One of the dream’s gifts was to put me in touch with the young woman of passion and audacity I was. She’s still there within me, always searching for how to live more fully, and how to serve and make a difference.
The search for a life that matters starts with a deepened awareness of all parts of ourselves, our own beauty and our own value. The heightened awareness of our own preciousness allows us to see that very quality in the eyes of everyone around us.
As Rumi says,
Inside, you are sweet beyond telling. There is a sun in everyone.
I become a mirror that cannot close its eyes to your longing,
my eyes wet with yours in the early light,
my mind every moment giving birth,
always conceiving, always in the ninth month….
When we know about the sun inside ourselves and others, we have much more ability to fend off depression and lack of meaning. Depression, anxiety, and grief become short term states we know how to address. When we face financial challenges, illness, loss and even our own mortality, we can ….welcome whatever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond. Thank you Rumi and his translator, Coleman Barks.
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Blessings to you, dear visitor.
