Just 'Because'

A Love Poem for our Time

Greetings, dear Sunny Optimists,

I am in the midst of half term with the family and have not had much time for writing this week. And so I offer you a poem that came into my email box on Wednesday. It is a beautiful piece of writing that is topical and timeless in equal measure. Profound and heartfelt, the poet captures the dilemma we face in how best to respond to the challenges of these times we live in. She offers us a delightful spoonful of optimism, reminding us that we are always enough when we love fully into each moment.

Enjoy, and see you next time.

Because

by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer.

So I can’t save the world—
can’t save even myself,
can’t wrap my arms around
every frightened child, 
can’t foster peace among nations,
can’t bring love to all who
feel unlovable.

So I practice opening my heart
right here in this room and being gentle
with my insufficiency. I practice
walking down the street heart first.
And if it is insufficient to share love,
I will practice loving anyway.

I want to converse about truth,
about trust. I want to invite compassion
into every interaction.
One willing heart can’t stop a war.
And sometimes, daunted by a task too big,
I tell myself what’s the use of trying?

But today, the invitation is clear:
to be ridiculously courageous in love.
To open the heart like a lilac in May,
knowing freeze is possible
and opening anyway.

To take love seriously.
To give love wildly.
To race up to the world
as if I were a puppy,
adoring and unjaded,
stumbling on my own exuberance.
To feel the shock of indifference,
of anger, of cruelty, of fear,
and stay open. To love as if it matters,
as if the world depends on it.

photo by westinnkennels

Questions for this Week

I wonder as you ‘race up to the world as a puppy, adoring and unjaded’

• What catches you by surprise?

• Who shows up to join you in the adventure?

• How do you feel by bedtime?

As always, I would love to hear from you.

Ann