Welcome to summer. Happy strawberry moon. We have ridden this wild carpet ride for well over a year, some of us new and others seasoned, all welcome.
When I sit in silence, sometimes I grasp my opposite wrist. I feel my bones nestled neatly under my skin. I feel my warmth. My body is at rest. My ego mind flits from object to thought loop after loop. I’m comfortable to observe like the wise parent monitoring the curious child. We are spiritual beings in our innocent bodies. Doorways open and close. I’m grateful for this circle of togetherness. We focus and listen. We breathe and blink. We experience our individuality together.
I wanted to share two excerpts of a story by Cleo Wade, author and poet. In 2017, she gave a TED talk entitled "Want to change the world? Start by being brave enough to care" Her newest children’s book, What the Road Said is a keeper.
What the Road Said (excerpts)
Have you ever wanted to go in a different direction?
Have you ever wondered if there was something more…something out there…something just…different?
I did too
Then one day I was walking my usual way home when, out of nowhere, for no reason at all, almost as if it were magic, a road appeared. I could not believe my eyes, so I walked over to it and…
I said to the road, where do you lead? The Road said, be a leader and find out.
How do I start? I asked.
The road smiled and said, you have already started.
…
But what if I go the wrong way? The road curved a little, almost as if it was giving me a hug, and said, do not worry. Sometimes we go the wrong way on our way to the right way.
(hear the whole book at https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1421061948244438)
The story continues through the seasons. It’s never too late to talk to our inner child, respect their needs and fulfill their wishes. They want to be loved, cared for, nurtured and included. We are the parent. We choose to revise our past experiences. We write the remedies for our pain.
So, welcome to summer. Welcome to opportunities to reparent, replant, refocus, renew and refresh your inner world. Keep going. Keep breaking open the limiting beliefs and hurt walls. Keep surrounding yourself with supportive community. Keep treating yourself to kindness. Keep going.
Participants’ Reflections:
Thank you. I loved the line about sometimes you have to go down the wrong road to get to the right road. That has happened to me. I was a 2nd grade teacher and I didn’t get along with the principal. I realized I wanted to work with gifted students because I felt they were neglected. So I did that and took another road to do what I was called to do.
That was very special. I enjoyed the reading. What spoke to me was holding your wrist. During the meditation, I held my wrist with my eyes closed. When I opened them, I was looking at a print I’ve had for 40 years called The Gathering. It’s an indigenous print with geese in it. I’ve always felt the connectivity of it. I saw it this morning in a whole new light by linking everything and creating a circle. It made it very special. Thank you.
Thank you for the reading. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to look at a friend’s bluebird birdhouse. Baby bluebirds have speckles and a little blue on their tails. Their eyes were open and they were all snuggled together. Community, support, tenderness. I’ve needed support for the last few days getting through the legal process I’ve been doing. I felt supported. Thank you for that.
Thank you. Two days ago, I went to paint out in a park. There’s a river and bridges, and geese gather there walking along a path. People come to watch so the geese are comfortable with people. The geese came right up to me and I looked down and there were baby geese around them. Life happens so fast. Where was I? Is that what is happening to me? Without even looking or being aware, all of a sudden, things are being born and growing.
I grew up where geese were all the time. I loved how the mother geese were. We also have bluebird houses nearby. I learned that bluebirds are not really blue, it’s the light from the sun that makes them look blue. I loved the book you read from. During the meditation, what came to me was Pema Chodron’s When Things Fall Apart. That we are all looking for ground under our feet, and there is no ground. The uncertainty. I am working on embracing uncertainty. It equals trust. I loved that whole idea of finding certainty in this life, and being comfortable with that.
I loved that book as well. I loved the line about every morning I’ll give you the sun and the stars. So many times, so many little things come to me. A bright-green pinecone was a little gift that appeared this morning and then was taken away. I’ve gathered other pinecones that look like flowers. Someone dropped me one of these as another present this morning.
I have often thought that giving up is not an option. I give up when it is hurtful and can’t figure out how to change it or be different. But maybe it wasn’t giving up; maybe it was going in a different direction and that wasn’t the road, that wasn’t the direction.
The road is an incredible metaphor. I’m going to think about it today while I am out there on the road.
Listening in and being with all of you has been what I needed today.
Thank you. Thank you for joining all of us. Thank you for listening to my words. I am so grateful for your presence. There is such power to it. The presence of listening. We hold our community inward. We are the expert on our needs and we can provide the care and support. I wish you all a day where you can use your mirrors and reflect love to you. Always with gentle, kind tenderness.
Photo credit: Vivek Kumar, unsplash.com