#MicroPoetry|October ’24 Reflections

Yesterday’s teaching might have been hard. The lessons learned may have come with ease or discomfort. However, we garnered new insight, and what we do with it holds wisdom. As yesterday becomes today, what we do possesses the possibility to create something new in our lives, for others, and our community. This significant characteristic we each have reminds us that at the dawn of each new day, what we do matters more with each choice to take yesterday to make tomorrow better for Creation. If we embrace this well, then we can stand as a beacon of possibility in the midst of cynicism and apathy.

Sometimes, people, with the best intentions, try to cheer us up when we’re tackling something tough, perhaps even seeming impossible. It doesn’t help when life keeps throwing obstacles our way. It’s understandable to feel like giving up, and sometimes, walking away is the best – healthiest – course of action.

Other times, our passion drives us to lift our shoulders, take another step, find a crack in the rock wall, and with a deep breath, continue creating something new. Grit: it’s unseen persistence and the small steps that lead us to achieve our goals, even when the journey seems impossible. When we embrace the moment, we may very surprise ourselves and one another.

Seeing what is possible is just one of the revelations Wisdom reveals. Such insight, however, requires more than recognition; it demands that passion fuels the possibility with curiosity and wonder. Asking difficult questions, recognising ways things are made to keep things the same, and painting a picture others can see stems from inquisitiveness and awe. Yet seeing the possible and being passionate about pursuing it requires one other thing: courage. The more we ask, the clearer the possible becomes. With such clarity, we will confront barriers, people, systems, and doubt that can dissuade us. Confidence in the vision, therefore, is a final act called bravery.

What does control mean to you?
How do you experience exercising your own agency?
Do you feel you direct your own life, or does it feel like someone or something else does?

There are no right answers to these questions that invite us into rich self-reflection. However, I suggest that our musings must be informed through one particular lens: choice. In each of these questions, without recognising and actually claiming our ability to choose, we may be tempted to cynicism. We are beings of wonder, and our capacity to choose possesses the ability to tell a new story.

As I look at my bookshelves, I find myself musing about how I think, perceive reality, react to the unexpected, and prepare for a constantly changing world. This reflective path leads me to wonder whether what we read, watch, and listen to influences our thinking or if our thinking influences our media choices. It’s a chicken-and-egg paradox, but if we take this seriously and realise that the world we experience is directly influenced by our thoughts, then perhaps we should be careful to curate our media to help us better understand and navigate the reality in which we wish to coexist.

“Everybody’s working for the weekend …”

Yes, I am likely dating myself with this reference to Loverboy. There’s such truth in this line. It’s not just about frivolity; it’s also seems to be a rally cry for joy and collective well-being. It critiques what we value and how we aspire to something beyond just being a widget in an indifferent system. The delight in life’s dance reminds us to focus on the present moment and find meaning in our daily steps. It’s about embracing joy and purpose in everything we do, finding fulfilment in our actions, and cherishing the moments that bring us happiness and connexion.

There’s an abundance of things for which we can be grateful and just as many places where we may need to consider where we’ve fallen short of our aspirations to be people of compassion. These two things – gratitude and humility – are never in tension but enrich our lives when we recognise they are intertwined. The ability to apologise authentically comes from a deep pool of appreciation. Accepting the riches that abound is unveiled in the humility to know such revelations are offered for the benefit of all. We’re but one person bearing hope to the multitude in times of hurt and struggle.

Life is not easy. This does not deny beauty, joy, love, and laughter. It is through living and recognising learning in hard moments that clarity about gratitude comes into focus. This is not to claim we must suffer to learn or grow. In the reality that we will hurt and be hurt, stumble and fall, we can look away from grievance and see interconnexion. In this balance, where the rose needs the thorn and the thorn needs the rose, we see fellow companions whose different experiences reveal layers of beauty we would otherwise miss.