. Sit and hear the wind in the dark forest
To dilate means to widen or open more fully and the purpose of experience, both through ease and pain, is to widen and open us more fully. The normal way we meet the world is full of bumps and bruises and noise that scratches up the heart. And yet, if we can endure and lean in, we are widened and opened to a depth that weaves the tissue of the Universe together.The Dilation of What Seems OrdinaryJust now, it happened again. My defenses were down, my memory machine asleep, my dream machine tired, and so the mystery—which is always beaming in all directions—made it through. And the moment of clarity it releases is always like a return from amnesia. So this is what it means to be a person, how could I forget:
To be alive, to look out from these small canyons called eyes, to receive light from the sun off the water and feel it shimmer on the common water that fills my heart. To listen to the silence waiting under our stories, long enough that all the vanished words said over time simmer up in a scent that, for a second, makes me feel journeys that are not mine. Till I surface before you with a stumbled sense of happiness. Not because I’m any closer to what I want, or even know what I want. But because in the flood of all that is living, I am electrified—the way a muscle dreams under the skin of lifting whatever needs to be lifted. A Question to Walk With: What does it mean to you, to be a person? Ask this question of someone you’d like to know better.– See more at:
http://threeintentions.com/2014/03/03/the-dilation-of-what-seems-ordinary/#sthash.22UmSd6J.dpuf
Read these weekly reflections on The Huffington Post and VividLife.Sooner or later, just by living, we are reduced to what matters, as so many things we thought were important and irreplaceable are broken or snapped like small branches in a storm. And somehow, we stand taller with less coverings. It is then we begin to feel gratitude, even though it’s hard to be grateful for what is difficult. In this regard, all poems are expressions of truth and gratitude. I Bow To AllI keep telling strangers thatto be in the presence of thosewith whom you can both sharepain and celebrate just wakingis the answer to loneliness. Such friendship makes the shar-ing of pizza in a noisy pub and thestanding in silence as the old oakcreaks all one could ask for. In truth, this process of beingworn to only what is raw andessential never ends. It’s as if a great bird lives insidethe stone of our days and sinceno sculptor can free it, it has towait for the elements to wear usdown until it’s free to fly. A Question to Walk With: Describe a part of you that seems to be in mid-birth, a wing of being half-carved, and name one experience that is chiseling you free.– See more at: http://threeintentions.com/2013/12/09/i-bow-to-all/#sthash.XvLKZaRq.dpuf
The word authentic comes from the Greek authentes. It means “bearing the mark of the hands.” This original meaning tells us that to be authentic mean being hands-on. It’s through our hands and through the life of touch and honest engagement that we learn and grow.
Our Hands
Sometimes, with no warning, we suffer
an earthquake and have to remake the
earth beneath us. Someone we love may
leave or die or think us cruel when we are
kind. Sometimes the tools we need break
or are stolen or simply stop working and
we have to invent some more. Sometimes
it feels like we can’t get through. That the
phone won’t get reception. And the com-
puter gets all jammed And sometimes what
gets through is partial and misunderstood.
It is then we are forced to go barefoot and
re-find our hands. Sometimes we are asked
to drift away from the crowd in order
to be found by what we love.
Marjolein-You have such strong, dexterous and loving hands! (My friend Becky said that she took your MN workshop and now is as 'in love with you' as I am!) Hxx
Your post is so true….misunderstandings….It is so hard to read feelings through the written word on the internet as you can't see facial expressions, hear the tone, feel the warmth of the human being, etc. I think many misgivings about people arise due to this….Another lesson in reserving judgment. And, yes, always good to get back to our roots and working with our hands/heart is a good way of doing that.
I love your posts…gentle and always provide food for thought. Thank you.