may i clarify my mind
and practice balance
which is not an achievement, but a state of being
it is not a burden, but a continuous nourishing revelation
like greeting the sun each morning
or eating a crisp apple
to be open to the world---
to see that everything i need to discover
is either here in front of me, within me,
or on its way toward me
to focus on what is present
without ignoring the past or future,
nor becoming lost in them
to know that my ideas of the world
are shadows grasping to contain infinite detail
yet it is only through them
that i know the world at all
to receive things in a way that grounds them in my experience
instead of with dismissal, separation, or dissonance
to note things i do not understand, for exploration
to not fear taking things apart---
for considering only wholes
will limit the wisdom i can acquire
to know that it takes time and effort
to grow my perspective
and that it is work worth doing
to see the lessons in my failures
and know that i cannot fall off the path
for the path is wherever i go
we are special because we think---
we are the universe understanding itself
we are a brush stroke in the painting of life
neither beginning nor end, top nor bottom
a part of a greater whole
from atoms to plants, from animals to the stars
we are all, everything is, of the same cloth
to see that what i put into the world
is like ripples on the surface of a pond
spreading out beyond what i will ever know directly
or can even imagine
to express instead of command
both when i speak to myself and to others
may i clarify my mind
and practice balance