I want to share a poem that has been with me for the last year and carry me though the good times and bad. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to read the full poem from her book (the unedited version if you have the time). It’s here: The Invitation by Oriah. So beautiful. All of it.
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.
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, be realistic,
remember the limitations of being human.
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 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.
– Oriah Mountain Dreamer
Images 1. The Girl in Daisy Field