Photo by James Harrison on Unsplash
My teacher, Paige Elenson, read this poem by Oriah, during one of her “Opening to Deep Rest” class.
I felt like the whole weight of judgements just whooshed out of me - my judgement of self, my concern to look good….
Really who cares with whom I hang out with (or not), how much money I have, what I look like. I just want to be accepted as I am, and these words just spoke to my heart because honestly, I need to accept me as I am too and tune out all those stories I have of others. Who cares?
I was also reminded of how interconnected we are via our emotions. We are all unique and yet we know what sadness feels like, happiness feels like, anger, grief, despair, loneliness, joy, pain, sorrow.
I feel all that at one time in my life. Do you?
If yes, hi! I feel like I know you. :)
Read The Invitation below
BONUS:
I did a beautiful pdf copy of the poem PLUS a reading of it too so you can listen to it as part of your meditation practice.
Scroll to the bottom of the page for access.
I felt the poem more when it was being read to me. So read it, paste it on your wall as a reminder, or listen to it - let me know how you feel. Write in the comments below.
xo
It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream
of meeting your heart’s longing.
It doesn’t interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love for your dream for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn’t interest me what planets are, squaring your moon…
I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life’s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain.
I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own
without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us
to be careful to be realistic to remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me is true.
I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see Beauty even when it is not pretty
every day and if you can source your own life from its presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure. yours and mine and still stand
at the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, “Yes.”
It doesn’t interest me to know where you live or how much money you
have.
I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done to feed
the children.
It doesn’t interest me who you know or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand in the centre of the fire with me and not
shrink back.
It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.
By Oriah © Mountain Dreaming,
from the book The Invitation