Poem: The Invitation
I was reading through some of my notes this morning and see what resonated to write about. This poem caught my eye and I wanted to share it with you.
The Invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer:
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, be realistic, 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.
A couple of years after first discovering this piece and it is as beautiful and touching to me as the first time I read it. In all of our journeys, the essence comes down to being true to oneself. When we are, we are able to sit with the joys and discomfort and truly show up for ourselves; before we are able to do the same for others. Beautifully written, and wonderful to reflect upon. Today I ask myself, am I able to drop the labels, the shoulds? Am I able to look at my fears and say, this is really scary and uncomfortable. But I will sit with it instead of doing something that will distract me? Am I able to actually name that fear? Do I understand that is causing me the anxiety that I feel? Am I able to be truly honest and authentic with myself? Because if I am not, I will not be able to truly give to the world in my full capacity. When I first read this poem a couple of years ago, I was thinking in terms of these questions being asked to my future/potential life partner. But today, I read this and my interpretation is, the author is asking me these questions and can I truly say yes to all of them? Have I worked enough on myself to truly stand at the top of the mountain on my own two feet, in my own strength? Before I am able to ask that of a partner/friend/family member/human being whom I want to share my life and energy with?