I came across this poem yesterday on Oriah’s blog… exactly what I needed to hear and what a beautiful way of describing the sentiment of reframing, of curiosity, and treating every arrival, interruption, and unwanted disturbance as a messenger that requires close examination. Maybe there’s something here that you need to look at more deeply – maybe this thing you don’t want is answering a question on your mind, or just telling you to pause and lift your mind from its latest obsession or thing to fix or make better. Or perhaps it’s teaching you to move between pleasure, the easy things, and the hard things as if they were all the same, and know that your soul will grow bigger and bolder on the other side.
Things to Think
by Robert Bly
Think in ways you’ve never thought before.
If the phone rings, think of it as carrying a message
Larger than anything you’ve ever heard,
Vaster than a hundred lines of Yeats.
Think that someone may bring a bear to your door,
Maybe wounded and deranged; or think that a moose
Has risen out of the lake, and he’s carrying on his antlers
A child of your own whom you’ve never seen.
When someone knocks on the door, think that he’s about
To give you something large: tell you you’re forgiven,
Or that it’s not necessary to work all the time, or that it’s
Been decided that if you lie down no one will die.
It’s been decided that if you lie down no one will die.
Robert Bly
My favourite line is the last one – because it does sometimes feel that the world rests on your shoulders, but surely it doesn’t. Surely your family, your work, and the world will continue to exist without you. Will you forgive yourself if you don’t get it all done? If it all doesn’t work out the way you planned?
Sadhguru says not to be a prisoner to your plan… yes, have a purpose, but hold your plan lightly in your mind’s eye. Because plans change, and often a better outcome arises, one that has a little more spunk and edginess and is infused with a little bit of this and a dash of that. A path that caused you to squirm through the letdowns, relinquish your pride, beg for help from strangers, call on favours from old friends that you weren’t sure would be willing to tag along. Yes, this new plan is wider and bigger and has more personality for sure. And what needed to get done got done – well most of it anyway – whatever was forgotten, well there’s always next time for that. (Or just delegate it!)
I’m so excited to move back to TO this month! It’s the first time since I lived at Harbourfront that I’ll have my own place…. it’s a cute little place, small but cozy, close to shops and cafes and a very dear friend who lives around the corner. I feel totally out of my element ordering furniture online – I like to see and touch everything first – this seems like a total gamble! I didn’t even think Wayfair was a legitimate website before, and now I can’t stop browsing it, scrolling through all the reviews and moving on when I see even one bad one. I will be surprised if it all comes together with somewhat of a theme… hmmmm I think I need to re-read what I just wrote.
K time for a bike ride. Hope everyone is having a great long weekend!!
She's Come Undone 