With gratitude, optimism becomes sustainable.
Michael J. Fox
I hope to be grateful,
No matter
What
I
Am
Feeling.
Not matter
What
I am
Thinking,
I hope
To remember
That
JOY IS A REVOLUTIONARY ACT,
Not as a way of
Transcending
The difficult,
The scary,
The dark,
The cold—
But as
A way
To
Keep
Going
Through
It,
May
Gratitude
Be
The
Flashlight
That
Guides
Us
Onward.
I choose to imagine
The highest unfolding
For this country,
Our country.
I pray
That
Our
Many
Shitty
Options
Might
Soften
Into
Sanity,
That
Our riled up
Hostilities,
Softened
Into
Community.
I choose to
Lean
Toward
Gratitude
As we enter
That
Slippery
Slope,
The
Beginning
Of
The
Trifecta
Of
Self-care
Challenges—
Thanksgiving,
Christmas,
And
New Year’s.
With so
Much
Happening,
With
Not
So much
Happening,
There continues
To be
Plenty
For
Which
To
Be
Grateful.
I choose to
See
the squirrel,
Giant nut in mouth,
The dog
Across the way
Napping
In the sun,
The wind
Dancing
In the branches
Of the trees.
I pray
To keep
My eyes
And
My heart
Open,
that
gratitude
might
fill
me.
~~~
Friends,
Here is a story from my first book, Recovering My Voice, that I always read aloud to somebody, to anybody who might listen, on Thanksgivings. It is the story of a political action in which I participated, Thanksgiving, 1979.
The story is entitled, Sorry We Stole It.
Disclaimer #1—it’s about 17 minutes long. I almost want to apologize for that. But I won’t.
Disclaimer #2—If you hear squeaking in the background, that is simply Niki B the Dog, wanting attention, not a random cat holding me hostage in my home.
Disclaimer- #3—I wrote this story probably twelve years ago. Although I am a beginner in understanding my privileged perspective in matters of race, class, and societal inequities, LORD KNOWS I was even more of a beginner in 2008. Apologies for my naivete and lack of insight. I hope not to offend. My intention is to represent myself as a thirty-one-year-old, struggling to align my feelings and my actions.
Thank you for allowing me to read this story, which continues to crack me up, to you.
~~~
Dear Friends,
Be safe
Be warm
Be held
By the
Moment,
No matter
What it
Is
Offering you.
All blessings,
Aruni
~~~
Meditations on Joy—Canine Style
Stay tuned to next week’s blog, arriving on Sunday eve, December 6th.
Back by popular demand, Niki B the Dog will guide us in Installment #2 of Meditations on Joy—Canine Style. Worth Waiting for, I am certain!
Wisdom Circles
Let us connect, weave our hearts, our voices, our experiences together in this elegant and simple form. Donations as you are able.
Come as you are and join us on Thursday, December 3 @ 2:00.
http://coacharuni.com/thursdaycircles/