Awakening
/Awakening
The real awakening
is not an awakening to your day
but an awakening to your life.
It occurs with the gradual casting of light
on the glorious mess of your life;
when you realize, no matter
how brightly you shine,
you will still cast a shadow;
when you know, no matter
how carefully you tread,
you will still leave dirty footprints
in the lives of others;
when you recognize
the only way forward
is to walk with your head held high
even though you will fall short of the mark
and you will never quite fulfill your promise.
You awaken when you know
the next step you take will land you
right in the middle of that glorious mess
that you call your life;
and you take the step anyway
unconditionally, wholeheartedly
because there is no where else
you would rather land
than in your own life.
No matter how hard we try to be good or to live well, we will inevitably make a mess of things. It is part of being human and we have to learn to live with the mess and do our best to clean it up or to make the most of it or, simply, to come to terms with the fact of it. One requisite of living with heart is the willingness and ability to embrace your faults and flaws and to accept your mistakes and missteps, doing your best to learn from them and live better lives because of them. How willing are you to face the messes of your life?
Awakening is included in my upcoming book: The Undiscovered Country: How to Live in Your Own Heartland, which is both a book of poetry and a workbook to explore how you can find and follow a path with heart. To learn more:
