We like to believe we are in control of our world, captain of the ship of our life, and responsible for our self. There is great beauty and power in this orientation. But it also minimizes the fact that we participate in a greater drama and that we are deeply affected by forces beyond our control. The poem Pebble was inspired by the image of a white foamed wave flowing over a tiny pebble in the sand: an apt metaphor representing fate and the overwhelming forces with which we must come to terms. This is one of the five dynamic dilemmas that we must renegotiate as new demands arise in our lives: should we fight the tide of greater forces or go with the flow?

Head versus heart: the classic conflict of reason or logic versus emotion or feeling. Phil Cousineau’s book, “The Art of Pilgrimage,” inspired the Poem Sacred Relics. Cousineau offers tips for turning all travel into a spiritual pilgrimage and opening the heart to the sacred in everyday life. I wrote this poem in 2002 when travel for work was becoming a big part of my life and a wedge in my marriage. It gave voice to a calling I could not name challenging me to engage more deeply with life. It has served as a knock on the door of the heart for many others facing transitions, giving courage to make the journey down the stairs and open to life once again.