I don't exactly know what I want to say about this idea. I have lately found myself sequentially rolling through a series of feelings that hasn't included the thought of comfort. And yet today, this is the word that comes, and this is the experience I've had in the present. In the midst of uncertainty, large change, and the Unknown, I am feeling comforted by getting to be peaceful and calm. Also, I've felt a very authentic connection with my day's activities and with the people I've encountered through some of those activities. This connection has translated into a feeling of comfort--comfort with myself, my life, my true life's unfolding. I am surprised by this awareness. It feels like it may be fleeting, but I am enjoying it while it's here. Deep gratitude is a natural result of this experience of comfort.
"Whenever we experience happiness and peace, we are at the gate where the medicines of laughter, joy, and fun can flourish. At [this gate] we begin to experience the wisdom gifts of peace, balance, and equanimity. From the beauty of the time that we spend in nature and the mystery that we find in the sweet territory of silence, we draw a primal comfort, solace, and grace that deepens our connection to our inherent spirituality."
--Angeles Arrien
I feel like I am living a wild life. Not wild in a way that is unmanageable. But wild in the same way that animals and plants live in the wild. I have been having the experience of living in a very changeable world. My own life is full of changes. Some are imperceptible to me, others are right there, drawing me forward. I am right now living in the wild environment of the Pacific Northwest. There is an energy here that inspires me to live more authentically from my wild self. I like it, but it's unpredictable. In a good way. It feels somewhat like controlled chaos. All is well.
"...I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields, which is what I've been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done? Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"
--Mary Oliver
