
Well it was a great vacation, but now I need one to recover! Tonight I am pretty wiped out, so I share a magnificent poem by one of my favorites, Mary Oliver. Enjoy.
The Journey by Mary Oliver
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 night,
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.
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Published by Julie Seifert
I am perpetually curious and intend to share what I learn to encourage us all to be connected--with each other, to nature and to the planet. I am guided by the values of empathy and gratitude, and believe they gather us together in community. When we are thriving in community, we have the ability to be agents of change for our friends, family, our neighborhood and the world.
Nature has an unbelievable power to heal--through the plants she displays or spending time in her presence. I am currently enrolled at Cincinnati State Technical College pursuing certification in Landscape Design to bring the benefits of plants to my community.
As a student of Shamanism I believe the human and non-human inhabitants of our world are interconnected, and advocate a return to the indigenous view of revering all, only taking what is needed, and giving back to the Earth.
I have been happily married for 16 years to a man that is also a nature lover and supports me unconditionally in my spiritual journey.
View all posts by Julie Seifert