For many years
I searched for wisdom.
I read endless books,
asked many wise teachers
took more courses than I can remember.
I turned to my father, my mother, my brothers, my sister.
I gathered friends and colleagues.
“Do you have wisdom?”
I asked of the sages, the philosophers, the saints.
“Can I have a piece of what you have?”
I begged of the writers, the teachers, the bloggers.
I gathered it all like a desperate hoarder,
clutching at pieces of whatever I could find.
Praying they wouldn’t slip away
like bugs scampering away from an overturned rock.
And like a harvester,
I winnowed and sifted the good from the bad.
I turned to the wilderness,
and for long days I searched there,
among the trees, the frogs, the rocks,
“Is wisdom stored in you?”
I asked them all.
“Come sit with me,” said the rock.
“Just sit. Stop searching and rest for awhile.”
“But I have work to do,” said I. “Wisdom still needs to be found.”
“Sitting helps,” said the frog. “Just try it.”
And so I tried to sit.
But my body was restless, yearning to move.
To turn over one more rock, to beg of one more sage.
My mind ached at all that I was missing.
“There’s a book I haven’t read!” I cried.
“I must go!”
My heart cried out for more conversation.
“There’s a sage I haven’t talked to! Surely she will know the way!”
The tree sighed.
“Sit,” she said. “Rest from your endless gathering.”
And so I sat.
And sat.
And sat.
And waited.
And prayed.
I tried to get up again and again, to carry on with the search.
But the rocks, trees, frogs, and rivers pleaded with me.
“Sit.”
And slowly, with the morning sun poking over the horizon,
wisdom appeared where I’d forgotten to look for it.
Deep in the places God had buried it so deep I didn’t think to look.
In my mind, my soul, my heart, my body.
Wisdom was there all along.
Fantastic piece! I know you’ve been looking hard. Didn’t Jesus say something like “The kingdom is within you”?
Beautiful, simply beautiful, dear Heather.
And here is what is evoked in me, from David Whyte, who is to poetry and leadership what Michael Jones is to music and leadership (I shared that comparison with Michael and he concurred) – his poem called ENOUGH.
Enough. These few words are enough.
If not these words, this breath.
If not this breath, this sitting here.
This opening to the life
we have refused
again and again
until now.
Until now
Isn’t that always the way? Beautiful!
beautiful … I think we can all save a lot of time if we keep your poem close at hand 🙂
How wonderful that you would post this today, as I am discovering this at a new level! And that photo is so serene!
So beautifully written, Heather! xoO
More wisdom in this one piece than in all the words you have read and listened to in the past.
I LOVE it!
You are a beautiful soul
xxm
this is beautiful! I am trying to ‘sit’ even as I am ‘doing’ things that need to be done today. Lovely start to the day to read this.
Wishing moments of ‘stillness’ to all humanity
M