Stay in the Moment by S. Mcnutt
The practice of
staying present will
heal you. Obsessing
about how the future
will turn out creates
anxiety. Replaying
broken scenarios from
that past causes anger
or sadness. Stay here,
in this moment.
there will be moments
when you bloom fully and then
wilth, only to bloom again.
if we can learn anything from
flowers it is that resilience is born
even when we feel like we are
dying.
It doesn't interest me
what you do for a living.
I want to know
what you ache for
and if you dare to dream
of meeting your heart's longing.
It doesn't interest me
how old you are.
I want to know
if you will risk
looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.
It doesnt interest me
what planets are
squaring your moon...
I want to know
if you have touched
the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened
by life's betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.
I want to know
if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.
I want to know
if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations
of being human.
It doesn't interest me
if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear
the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.
I want to know
if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
"Yes."
It doesn't interest me
to know where you live
or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.
It doesn't interest me
who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.
It doesn't interest me
where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know
what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.
I want to know
if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like
the company you keep
in the empty moments.
look at you.
still standing
after being
knocked down
and thrown out.
look at you.
still growing
after being
picked and plucked
and prodded out of
your home.
look at you.
still dancing
and singing
after being
defeated and
dissembled.
look at you, love.
still here and hopeful
after it all.
Though the world was thrown into the depths of darkness,
Only so few remained to clean up the mess.
Saplings were planted, and seeds were spread,
All to resurrect this world from the dead.
As the first rain came, the seeds took root,
just like a computer, our planet began to reboot.
Soon the fields were grassy and green,
as the trees began to flourish the scene.
As the wind blew, the flowers would sway,
we were finally coming out of our darkest day.
For every creature that walked or crawled,
they had a place of peace where they couldn't be stalked.
Long had the sea been black,
with the revival, the old clear blue was back.
Many creature who once felt alone,
now had friends and many places to call their own.
Though the cycle of beast revolved around a food chain,
if we take their lessons, maybe we could start again.
Seeing the glory of birds flying over the open field,
gave much joy that the heart could not yield.
Nature provided a safe haven for these creatures,
and gifted them with all of it's glorious features.
When autumn sprang and the leaves turned gold,
the world was young again, no longer old.
As the world refreshed life began to spring,
it's so amazing how we once overlooked the simplest thing.
Had nature always been this beautiful, what was it that we missed?
The freshest aroma from flowers that were Sun kissed.
The crisp breezes on the hottest of summer's day,
the serene ecosystem that allowed it to stay this way.
Nature was mother to many, far more than I could count,
her love couldn't be measured in any amount.
So it came our world was anew,
amongst the mist of morning dew.
The darkness is over, and vegetation finally arrived,
it's amazing to see how much Nature survived.
The edge of the solstice,
the barren darkness,
the wheel.
Nature knows
that every cycle
must return to stillness and silence.
That every inhale has an exhale.
That ever ending births
a beginning.
That the light
always returns
to a future
beyond imagination.
Lying, thinking Last night How to find my soul a home Where water is not thirsty And bread loaf is not stone I came up with one thing And I don’t believe I’m wrong That nobody, But nobody Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone Nobody, but nobody Can make it out here alone.
There are some millionaires With money they can’t use Their wives run round like banshees Their children sing the blues They’ve got expensive doctors To cure their hearts of stone. But nobody No, nobody Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone Nobody, but nobody Can make it out here alone.
Now if you listen closely I’ll tell you what I know Storm clouds are gathering The wind is gonna blow The race of man is suffering And I can hear the moan, ‘Cause nobody, But nobody Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone Nobody, but nobody Can make it out here alone.
When the rhythm of the heart becomes hectic, Time takes on the strain until it breaks; Then all the unattended stress falls in On the mind like an endless, increasing weight.
The light in the mind becomes dim. Things you could take in your stride before Now become laborsome events of will.
Weariness invades your spirit. Gravity begins falling inside you, Dragging down every bone.
The tide you never valued has gone out. And you are marooned on unsure ground. Something within you has closed down; And you cannot push yourself back to life.
You have been forced to enter empty time. The desire that drove you has relinquished. There is nothing else to do now but rest And patiently learn to receive the self You have forsaken in the race of days.
At first your thinking will darken And sadness take over like listless weather. The flow of unwept tears will frighten you.
You have traveled too fast over false ground; Now your soul has come to take you back.
Take refuge in your senses, open up To all the small miracles you rushed through.
Become inclined to watch the way of rain When it falls slow and free.
Imitate the habit of twilight, Taking time to open the well of color That fostered the brightness of day.
Draw alongside the silence of stone Until its calmness can claim you. Be excessively gentle with yourself.
Stay clear of those vexed in spirit. Learn to linger around someone of ease Who feels they have all the time in the world.
Gradually, you will return to yourself, Having learned a new respect for your heart And the joy that dwells far within slow time.
If I had my life to live over again, I’d dare to make more mistakes next time.
I’d relax.
I’d limber up.
I’d be sillier than I’ve been this trip.
I would take fewer things seriously.
I would take more chances, I would eat more ice cream and less beans.
I would, perhaps, have more actual troubles but fewer imaginary ones.
You see, I’m one of those people who was sensible and sane,
hour after hour,
day after day.
Oh, I’ve had my moments.
If I had to do it over again,
I’d have more of them.
In fact, I’d try to have nothing else- just moments,
one after another, instead of living so many yeas ahead of each day.
I’ve been one of those persons who never goes anywhere
without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a raincoat, and a parachute.
If I could do it again, I would travel lighter than I have.
If I had to live my life over,
I would start barefoot earlier in the spring
and stay that way later in the fall.
I would go to more dances,
I would ride more merry-go-rounds,
I would pick more daisies.
"Let nothing dim the light that shines from within."
- Maya Angelou
What can you do that brings you joy in this moment?
What does it look like to let your light shine?
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