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It has been said that ‘if we wish to get somewhere, it is first important to know where we are.’  Okay. I have done that. Now what? Well, perhaps I really didn’t do it and just want to get on with what is coming next in that ‘getting somewhere’ because that sounds a bit better than where I am. Why look at where I am, anyway?

Oliver Wendell Holmes has suggested that ‘many people die with their music still in them.’  Yipes, I don’t want to do that, that’s for sure, but…

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“What is really going on out there?”

I have to ask from time to time, because there are thoughts swirling around in my head, apart from my own ongoing thoughts that say that ‘there are no thoughts going on unless I put them there.’ Yet, they are there all the time, and I‘m not putting them there!

Confused? Yeah, me too.

In his book, The Soul’s Code, Dr. James Hillman suggests that we are each born as if an acorn, with our life’s core essence already given to us inside that metaphorical acorn. It’s like everything about us, as for the oak tree, is already inside each acorn, so we are left at the effect of the kinds of nurturing or soil, to which we are subjected.

It doesn’t mean that we are already a doctor, plumber, sailor, or author and so on. It means that we have a tendency that it would be wise to express, in order to live a life we love. That tendency will be a distinction or a ‘being-ness’ that could be ‘harmony’ or ‘freedom’ or ‘adventure,’ or many others.
It means that our acorn seeks the fertile ground for that particular expression to blossom.

We are all capable of providing that nurturing foundation for each other, except that someone has taken our acorn and plowed it into the ground that is owned by society. Something it wanted us to grow into so we would be useful to that society’s culture or commerce. Grease the wheels, so to speak. But more than likely, not what we truly would have cherished doing with life, if it weren’t for those damned monthly bills and expectations of others.

There is a good explanation, and even some exploratory exercises, contained in a book that will soon be on the market, called ‘Authentic to the Core – Remember Who You Are. Discover What You Love. Be True to Yourself.’

Is it important to remember who we are? Well, if we look at the world, the planet and its societies, and use that as a scorecard, then what we have done and are doing with our lives has resulted in the ‘score’ being what it is. Do we like it? Does it serve our essence?

When I was a kid, and someone told me I was ‘smart,’ therefore should ‘go into law, engineering, economics, etc.’ they thought they were doing me a favor. They were concerned about my ability to survive economically, be able to support a family, have a nice home and move in the appropriate circles in society. And? And? (Insert visualization of hamster running on treadmill.)

Okay, I did that stuff. But, what matters most is that I am now expressing my life as an amateur blogger, learning to write, play music and even paint. I need communities that allow me to grow and be nurtured in those things that I love and had set aside so many years ago…..and for me, that is really what matters in my life. What matters in your life, if the money monkey was off your back?

Perhaps by listening closely to some of the voices or thoughts that are running, we might recognize little pleas from the soul for what one author refers to as ‘follow your bliss.’ That would really matter!

Rich

Defensive barriers up. No more hurt. Please.
Then, armor overcome. Heart arrow-pierced.
Love at first sight, so quickly yielded.
Memories forever carved into the heart.
Love. Waiting, scheming, dreaming. For what?
To forever remember, to make promises? To whom, now?
Meanwhile, some hurting left to do.
Life no longer owned, yet no one else’s. Heart held hostage.
Separation. Sleepless nights.
No more smiles. No more laughter. No more softness.
No way to make her come back…..why did she go?
No longer playing her favorite notes, soul no longer singing, candle barely flickering.
Her candle. The light back to her heart, she said.
Promises to meet in the stars. The stars?
One more day, one more empty mailbox.
Meanwhile, some hurting left to do.
∞ ∞

Today, what matters is to be present. That is what the soul requires. It is not logical or driven by positive-thinking. It just wants love, and damned the consequences. That is what really matters.

Rich

Some author once said something like, ‘Everything I write, places my own self at risk.’

In writing things that are to be read by other folks, I sometimes feel I should hit the Delete button instead of the Publish button. I often feel like I have stuck my foot in my mouth and wish I had said something more meaningful. That’s when I am not so sure about the survival of my ‘self.’
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