Are you stuck in your hesitancy to step into dreams or duties deferred? If so, perhaps this post will encourage you to move forward. This week brought a valuable reminder of how quickly time is passing along with a wakeup call to fill the days remaining with overlooked opportunities.
The occasion was my college class reunion. Given that it was our 55th, attendance was much less than five years ago. However, connecting with a cadre of companions who have shared many of life’s milestones sparked some new insight and energy. Our physical and mental capacities are waning, but the lights of our accomplishments and connections shone brightly, revealing occasions that still beckon.
This morning I received the following message in my inbox. It is from Joe Riley who shares poems periodically through Panhala. It reminds us that it is never too late to seize the day and the blessings it holds, even if the actions appear to be small. May it strike a chord with you.
Variation On A Theme By Rilke
(The Book of Hours, Book I, Poem 1, Stanza 1)
A certain day became a presence to me;
there it was, confronting me — a sky, air, light:
a being. And before it started to descend
from the height of noon, it leaned over
and struck my shoulder as if with
the flat of a sword, granting me
honor and a task. The day’s blow
rang out, metallic — or it was I, a bell awakened,
and what I heard was my whole self saying and singing what it knew: I can.
sacredlead 