There are quiet random moments thay remind me I have been stripped of everything - this has been my greatest gift and greatest challenge. And then I heard myself say:
Dive into yourself and see what you discover.
Stop saying sorry.
Be kind to yourself and to other but don't give away yourself.
Take jumps off of cliffs but also sit alone in the forest.
Let the sun warm your soul but be brave to truly feel the bitter cold.
Love freely - openly, don't rely on your selfish heart - find a path to that deep well of love that never judges or runs dry. Find the deepest love and gratitude for yourself and be honored at any love that comes from outside - without expectations.
Find peace in impermanence.
Find forgiveness in impermanence.
Find roots in impermanence.
It's was almost six months to the day since I had been to the pond. I was walking on the path, around the cove right before you arrive at the original site of Henry David Thoreau's
house and the wire fence snagged the scarf I was holding. It was almost exactly the same place that the wire fence snagged my jacket those 6 months ago. It's amazing the energy and messages place hold for us.
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Do you ever have experiences like that? A tiny moment of connection? New awareness?
I went to a teen mom digital storytelling event last night. Their stories were complex and emotional. It felt like I was being told the dark secrets of strangers, myself and an auditorium of people. I could see the discomfort in the moms as their words were released into the room. It was the first time for many of them to tell their story. I was left with an awkward clumsy feeling at the end of the event. Here we are amongst all these complex interactions, emotional entanglements and authentic confusion moving forward without much knowledge of ourselves. The energy of the room felt chaotic to me.
We don't know how to have these conversations. We don't know how to not cast our own shadow on the light of others. We don't know how to listen and then hear what is being shared with us.
Our stories are to be told
I hope that we never stop telling our stories
I hope we find new strength in our truths every time we tell them
I hope that we find that roaring thunder of unconditional love for all the dips - valleys - peaks that we've journeyed to arrive right here
right here
and maybe by telling our stories we will be better able to listen and hear the stories of others.
