The Only Life You Can Save

The Journey

One day you finally knew what you had to do, and began, though the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice - - though the whole house began to tremble and you felt the old tug at your ankles. "Mend my life!" each voice cried. But you didn't stop. You knew what you had to do, though the wind pried with its stiff fingers at the very foundations, though their melancholy was terrible. It was already late enough, and a wild nigh, and the road full of fallen branches and stones. But little by little, as you left their voices behind, the stars began to burn through the sheets of clouds, and there was a new voice which you slowly recognized as your own, that kept you company as you strode deeper and deeper into the world, determined to do the only thing you could do -- determined to save the only life you could save.

by Mary Oliver

This poem can bring me to my knees. I've lived it or shall I say survived it. I finally did hear my own voice that had been trying to speak my whole life yet due to my lack of attention, began to whisper and possibly fade away. I picked up an audio of Wayne Dyer's new book Excuses Begone: How to Change Lifelong, Self Defeating Thinking Habits and as usual in self-help books, nothing I'm hearing is new to me however putting it into practice is another story.

The line in Oliver's poem, "though the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice - - though the whole house began to tremble and you felt the old tug at your ankles" makes me feel like its referring to family or friends that I've heard throughout my life and have influenced me in ways that might have prohibited me from living my authentic life. Their intentions were most likely coming from a good place, just not "my" place.

In the end, determined to do the only thing you could do -- determined to save the only life you could save, is the truth I have come to discover though not easily. I have no control over anything outside of myself. The only changes I can make are within myself and with those changes, others around me are forced to change their dance or walk away.

Today my intention is to slow down, pay attention to whatever is in front of me instead of thinking about what else I should be doing.

Today I am grateful for the opportunity to be there for a man from St. Lucia that is looking for a way to start an organization for St. Lucians here in Georgia. Bouncing ideas back and forth, he and I were there for each other and coming from a similar place of wanting to serve others. There was nothing tangible in our exchange for either of us but there was an exchange of energy and its funny how when I give of myself from this unconditional place, instead of being depleted, I'm replenished.

The highlight of yesterday would have to be the loaf of cinammon bread my assistant manager brought me from the Harvest Bread Company, I had mentioned how much I like to eat snacks before bed like cinnamon toast and pbjs. we'll see how long that loaf lasts....