Photo Credit: cygnus921 via flickr

I’m drawing on a lot of wisdom of the world right now. Mary Oliver always heals me.

Mindful

By Mary Oliver

From her Why I Wake Early collection

Every day

I see or I hear

something

that more or less

kills me

with delight,

that leaves me

like a needle

in the haystack

of light.

It is what I was born for —

to look, to listen,

to lose myself

inside this soft world —

to instruct myself

over and over

in joy,

and acclamation.

Nor am I talking

about the exceptional,

the fearful, the dreadful,

the very extravagant —

but the ordinary,

the common, the very drab,

the daily presentations.

Oh, good scholar,

I say to myself,

how can you help

but grow wise

with such teachings

as these —

the untrimmable light

of the world,

the ocean’s shine,

the prayers that are made

out of grass?

Let’s grow wise together this week and continue to deepen our study of paying close attention to the moment we’re in and not the moments we long for.

In fact, let’s stare lovingly at those who are around us and who demonstrate their love to us each day. Let’s give it up to the little charming rays of sunshine that grace our days and our nights and all the in-betweens. Let’s celebrate all that surrounds us — like little love notes, the way someone holds our face with compassion, and friends that just get us like no one else ever will. We are well on our path to being Awesomely Awake but let’s really devote our presence to the drab and the common, and try to crack open the beauty in all of it. Let’s surrender to that moment when we find ourselves lost in it.

I’d love for you to share a moment in your week when you uncover profound beauty in the ordinary — maybe a stack of dishes, maybe a face sticky with strawberry jam.

Please share here when you find your own prayers in the blades of the green, green grass and Amens in the blue skies adorned with the whitest of white, fluffy clouds.

Find more weekly intentions right here. If you have any interest in going deeper into becoming Awesomely Awake, please sign up for the newsletter on the right sidebar.


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