A reader sent this lovely poem to me saying she felt “… it addresses what kindred souls are feeling this time of year.” And, while I agree with her, I hadn’t yet crystallized this simple thought for myself. So the poem offered me its fresh perspective. On the chance you, like me, have not yet put this thought into form, I’m passing the poem on to you.
Fresh
by Naomi Shihab Nye
To move
cleanly.
Needing to be
nowhere else.
Wanting nothing
from any store.
To lift something
you already had
and set it down in
a new place.
Awakened eye
seeing freshly.
What does that do to
the old blood moving through
it’s channels?
What a beautifully simple idea: To be happy exactly where we are. To need nothing from any store. To take something we already own and move it to a new spot, making it new to us again. Yes, indeed, what does that do to the blood flowing in our veins?
This, exactly, is what I want for Christmas. And I wish it for all of you.
Love to you all,
Jeane
Lovely poem from a very fine writer. Such a seemingly simple way to move through life, but how often we really miss being able to do this. How do we get caught up so easily in the stuff of life swarming over us.
I just watched a very interesting interview by Tavis Smiley. He was talking to one of my favorite writers, Anne Lamott. She spoke to this problem in our culture, rather, this problem that IS our culture, encouraging us to get caught up in the stuff that isn’t important, and turning our backs on what is. She said it was a “radical act” to say, “No” to our culture. I absolutely think she’s right and I’m delighted to practice being radical in this way.
I love this Jeane! This is something I’m working on as well, but not there yet.
I wanted to tell you that I’ve … officially…made the decision to retire early summer 2013. A year or so ago, your blog started me thinking about making some big changes and this Christmas, my gift to myself, is the opportunity for a new life. I’m really excited about having time to explore my own interests. I come from a family of artists. Perhaps there’s some creativity in me as well.
Anyway, I wanted you to know that your words have inspired. Have a wonderful Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year…….Kim
Oh congratulations Kim! That’s such great news and I appreciate you telling me. I remember one of the first notes you sent to me about looking seriously at the work you were doing within a company you had started, realizing you weren’t happy. You made some important changes then, due to your introspection. I was so moved by that. In fact the memory of your note to me kept me going when things got difficult with the blog. You’ve been something of a beacon to me. I am certain there is creativity in you. You’ve already shown it.
Congratulations again and wishes for a merry Christmas and a CREATIVE new year.
For me this is a reminder that we always get to choose…where our attention is held. I recall that our choices make an energetic impression on the larger group of “we” and it is a loving gift I choose to share:) XOXOX
Yes, I agree–how we are in the world, how we move through it, is felt by the larger group of “we”–whether we’re positive or negative. When we can choose the positive we offer the gift of light out into the universe. You are that gift of light.
Great poem! It speaks to simplicity. It is unfortunate that simplicity is probably the most complicated thing that any of us can strive for. We are part of a society where-in ” getting things done” and multi-tasking are benchmarks for success and advancement. Advancement to what? More tasks and things to “get done”, of course. And these things and tasks are decided for us by our boss ( there are woefully few of us who work for ourselves) and by peer/societal pressure ( societal norms or ideals are way to broad and insensitive to satisfy the specific needs of any of us as individuals). Sadly, we are driven to the point where there is so much we think we “need” to do that we don’t know what we “want” to do. We have come to the point where way to many of us, instead of having a vertical priority system, have one that is horizontal. We end up like the proverbial “chicken with his cut off”. Running around in circles and getting absolutely nowhere. And becoming more and more frustrated and unhappy in the process.
All of us, I am certain have known, and envied, someone who knew from early on, exactly what they wanted to do with their lives and single- mindedly pursued it right from the git-go. Well, Fiddle! Their lives are not ours. For the vast majority of us, the life we want/need/require demands an act of will. We need to think, and dream and plan and be honest with ourselves about what it is that makes us catch our breath, what makes our hearts beat faster, and what brings tears of joy to our eyes. ” Plan your work and work your plan” was the way I learned it. Even more important, it requires a DECISION. Once you DECIDE to do a thing it is a done deal. I smoked for 30 years. I “tried to quit” many times and I failed. When I DECIDED to quit, it happened. From that instant forward I never smoked or desired a cigarette again. This is a principle that must be applied to anything that is worth doing in our lives.
When I first became serious about taking up fly fishing, I went to my local fly shop to buy a fly reel. I told the guy behind the counter that I was a “newbie” and just needed a simple reel to get started with. He chuckled and told me that his “simple ” reels were the most expensive reels he carried. He explained that simple reels required more thought, planning, engineering, and cost in order to achieve something that was well-crafted and functioned flawlessly. Can crafting our lives be very far different from this? There does need to be thought, there does need to be planning… and there will be cost. Anything of value has a cost. Are our lives not of value?
Honesty about ourselves is, I believe, also necessary. This is hard for me to express accurately. Part of honesty is knowing your strengths and weaknesses, but more than that.
It seems to me that we need to be able to recognize that some of the things we see in ourselves as flaws or weaknesses, those “out of step” sorts of things are something more positive. They are trail markers; they are road signs; they are heads-ups from our inner selves shouting at us, “Hey dummy, your going the wrong way!!!!”. We need to be listening and we need to be honest enough to admit that we heard.
Now, having said all of this, I have to admit, I am not there yet. I am as they say, still “in process”. I keep working at it and perhaps in time I will be “there”. I came across a quote I think speaks to the whole question.” I may not have gone where I intend to go, but I think I ended up where I intended to be” Douglas Adams. I have no idea who Mr. Adams is, but I think he got it right. Someday I will be able to say the same thing for myself.( I pray)
I have been told much of my life, that I am too wordy and tend to lecture. For that i apologize. This post did not start out to be so. All this has ended up just being a preface for the following.
Jeanne, I very glad that you “made it” and that you are where your spirit needs you to be. I am maybe a little jealous, but not envious. When I first “re-discovered ” you , I read the HRA blog almost entirely. I was and am appalled at the price both physically and spiritually that life has exacted from you in order for you to get to where you need to be. So, never envious.
But very, very glad for you that you are in a happy place now.
Merry Christmas and Peace be with you.
Thank you Rob. Merry Christmas to you as well and peace along your path.
Nice reminder. I am a bit addicted to shopping. (I am supporting the economy, wink-wink.) When I was in elementary school in Texas in the late 1970s, Naomi Shihab (before she became Nye) came to our school for one week and taught poetry to every class. She played her guitar and sang to us. She was a beautiful soul with a beautiful face. At the end of the week, she compiled poems from every student into a book, which we all received a copy of: Too Big to Throw Back, To Little to Skin. Merry Christmas, Jeane and Kim!
Wow! What a wonderful experience that had to be–something you remember decades later. I applaud your school and Naomi Shihab for providing such an artful memory. Merry Christmas to you as well.