Light & Dark—We Get It All
Today I got a crown.
No,
Not on my head, silly.
In my mouth.
And tomorrow,
You may wonder,
What elder-self-care gift
Might life be offering me?
My first hearing aid!
I am delighted.
To be put
In my ear.
Now that I realize
I can’t hear so well
In one ear,
I am obsessively,
Compulsively
Aware
Of
NOT HEARING SO WELL
In that ear.
Ah, the journey from
Cluelessness to
Hyperaware sensitivity,
Through one
Audiology exam.
~~~
This week,
Friends,
I felt—
Old.
Old
And
Tired.
Achy
And
Anxious.
And then Lovely Susan sent
This brilliantly and perfectly timed
Poem by Rumi:
~~~
“This, my dear is the
Greatest challenge
To being alive.
To witness
The injustice
Of this world
And not allow it
To consume
Our light.”
~~~
Rumi opened my heart,
Yet again,
And got me pondering…..
Wait….Light?
What’s light?
What does light mean?
Is there light?
I forgot about the light.
And then I remembered!
The lake has thawed
And
The wonderous
Red-winged blackbirds
Are back.
They come here
To hang out in spring,
To breed in the wetland
Behind our house.
They stay until
Late summer
And leave
Behind themselves
A quietness
That is
Near-heartbreaking,
One that we are asked
To live with,
Until
Spring.
And now—
It is.
It is spring.
The lake is thawed.
And
The birds are back.
They are wondrously wild,
Celebrating with such merriment,
Such delight for life,
The
Jubilation
of
Spring,
As only
Birds
Can
Offer.
They are the light
That I
Remembered.
They bring
Such
Solace.
And here’s more light.
Here are Mira Awad and Noa, both singer-songwriters, Palestinian and Israeli peace workers, internationally known for their brilliant music and deep, activist hearts.
Here they are in concert, singing a poem by the Palestinian poet, Mahmood Darwish, Think of Others.
Give yourself the gift of the full-6-minute song. Wait till the end. Singing together in Arabic, Hebrew and English gave me the tingles.
If only I could be
A candle
In the dark.
~~
Dear Friends,
Oh, damn,
It’s true.
We get it all.
Light and dark.
Winter and ice.
Spring and
Flowing
Water.
To spring—
To rebirth.
To renewal.
To possibility.
May all beings benefit from our words shared.
Stay blessed,
Aruni