#MicroPoetry|September ’18 Reflections

Success: a term that has come to mean, often, a flattened sense of wealth and acquisition of things and stuff. It is usually framed as an individualistic pursuit and often benefits at the expense of others. This verse introduces into the conversation that success attained is not an individual pursuit, but one that raises all boats when we recognise, we all ply the same waters called life. So, when one finds abundance and it is shared that abundance is only further amplified to our shared benefit.

The day is what we make it – can sound hollow, as I believe it is found on everything from internet memes to Hallmark cards. Experiencing this so often can lessen the import of the reality that this is fundamentally true. To be mindful of this reality takes practice and intention. This does not deny that there are hurts and people who do such things to others on purpose. It is not a reality that lessens the real oppression and lack of equality and equity. Yet, whether we live with privilege or not, whether we endeavour to care just for ourselves or the #SocialGood, we always have the potential to realise that our responses to that which we cannot control becomes a choice that might offer us all liberation.

I remember the first time I had the privilege to meet my massage therapist. She observed the way I held tension in my body. She described what she saw and in the naming of those various physical points that were taut, I felt discomfort that I had become so accustomed to that it was ‘normal.’ I think the same things happens when the distractions inundate our ability to reflect and think critically. In this musing, I am exploring the thread that the gift of silence allows mind and body to awaken to the spirit and the wisdom within each of us.

These three characteristics or aspects of our lives are often separated. Even when we appreciate that they might be connected, they are framed as me or you and not interconnected. The reality, however, is that we are a relational species. We are meant to be connected – intimately to not only one another but all of Creation. Now whether we do that well or not, does not take away that we are connected. How we live that out, however, is easily seen in whether we collectively are well or if there are those who suffer at the benefit of others. This verse endeavours to explore our connexion through the image of 3 dancers.

It is one of those phrases, some might call a truism, others perhaps a cliché: a leap of faith. I have experienced this phrase embolden people and also used to silence people. Whether that is in such activities of dreaming dreams or confronting injustice, central to each pursuit is faith. Faith in oneself, faith in the idea/concept, faith in something larger, bigger than the dreamer, if you will. Too often faith and logic are placed at odds or in competition. It has been my experience that both inform one and the other. And – sometimes – when all of the data and reports are in and submitted, there is no clear ‘right’ path. And it is at that moment, when that step beckons and this poetic musing attempts to explore that balance and choice.

How do we care for ourselves? Whether that be our body, mind or spirit, what role does our essence, our soul have in that work? Conversely, what affect does a well nurtured and nourished soul have in our living as mind, body and spirit? The practices we follow – or don’t – I believe affect this holistic approach to our journey as people who aspire to ideals that connect the physical to the ethereal. Our spiritual beings long to be completed and in this verse, I muse about the paths we individually and collectively follow to this end.

I love the idea that within each of us is a precious dream that if realised would be of great value to not just the individual dreamer, but all of their relations. I believe if we live this reality, we will be much more inclined to care for one another in a way that intentionally nurtured translating possibility into actuality. This verse plays with that idea and endeavours to explore the gifts that we can discover when we recognise the precious possibilities each of us brings to one another.

Happiness and joy – when they’re connected, though not necessarily completely synonymous, amazing things happen. There can be laughter in the midst of grief, reflection in the midst of pain and honesty in the face of silence. It takes a certain commitment to not separate them. When they are disconnected, the first becomes a commodity and the second simply an ideal relegated to saints and monks. When we embrace them as a way to orient one’s life, however, wonder often follows.

Happiness and joy – when they’re connected, though not necessarily completely synonymous, amazing things happen. There can be laughter in the midst of grief, reflection in the midst of pain and honesty in the face of silence. It takes a certain commitment to not separate them. When they are disconnected, the first becomes a commodity and the second simply an ideal relegated to saints and monks. When we embrace them as a way to orient one’s life, however, wonder often follows.

Sometimes we judge ourselves based on our habits and the patterns we have developed in our lives. Sometimes we diminish ourselves – and others – about what might appear to be unhealthy choices and rituals. Often, however, these learned ways of being have developed to help us navigate challenge or hurt. Rather than judge, therefore, what might it look like if we acknowledged our patterns, noted they may have served us well, but to get to somewhere new or reach a goal recently identified would require new ways to be. In this musing, I explore how honouring and letting go might be a way to honour ourselves as blessed and not broken.

In the Christian tradition there is a touchstone about the burden one carries as a person of faith. I have found that all who endeavour to nurture the #SocialGood experience, at times, the weight of the challenges in helping others. The road of solidarity and being an ally is never easy. One of the ways this load is less burdensome, from the vantage of faith, is recognising that this work is larger than me or you. When we share it, when we recognise the difference between confidence in the work and the ego of control, the burden promises to be light.

The Poet is a reoccurring character in in my poetic musings. She represents many things and depending on the context she might be Holy Wisdom, Creator, a guide on the journey or a presence of support and care in moments of challenge or concern. In this verse, I imagine a maternal mentor, neither coddling nor patronising. She is present in a moment when we about to take a step into the unknown. In this moment, I suspect she might want to protect of use words to motivate, yet she simply waits in our stepped pause, prepared to let go or support depending on the choice we make.

Letting go and Letting in … this is not an uncommon reference for the spiritual journey. Control and ego often reinforce stories that we are right, and others are not. This is only compounded when done in an echo chamber with those who reinforce what we collectively believe is ‘normal.’ Yet such silos often do not lead to places of health vibrancy, whether in our places of isolation or larger sense of connexion.