A death of some sort

“One day you finally knew

What you had to do, and began,

Though the voices around you

Kept shouting

. . .

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”

Mary Oliver

“The Journey” is a poem that speaks to me (it gave me chills the first time I read it); I think it may speak to all of us since we may see a reflection of our lives in some aspect of the poem. “The Journey” is a poem about transformation, about having to courage to leap into new experiences despite the uncertainties, and about staying truthful to both ourselves and the people around us. Transformation is inevitable, and sometimes painfully uncomfortable; but in the end, (or what may appear to be the end) we see something greater than ourselves– we see a vulnerability and exaltation fundamental to human experience. Everyone has a journey. Perhaps some are hung up on the first step, some may not be ready, perhaps some have lost the courage to continue, or perhaps some have lost their way. I learned this past year that the challenge lies in sticking to the journey. My challenge was that I lost the courage to be myself, and it wasn’t until very recently that the stars in my heart began to burn and lead the way.

When I finally agreed to listen, a rapture of longing, excitement, and curiosity overtook everything I was. I felt free and truthful. I felt human. I embraced the transformation to with courage; I painfully shed my unfamiliar, inconsistent skin and sought myself. It may sound dramatic, perhaps too dramatic for the lives most of us live. Yet at the time it didn’t feel dramatic. It felt right.

I have learned to be conscious of the being I decide to be every day. We do the world and ourselves an incomprehensible disservice by living inconsistently to who we want to be.  The only life we can save is the life we choose to live. So, dare to change, dare to take the first step, but most importantly, dare to be true to yourself.