Wisdom in unusual places

Sometimes, when you’ve been off radar for a bit, there can be a temptation to show all you’ve been up to, accomplished, and done.

But then you come upon a Mary Oliver quotation, stuck to the back of a red Toyota outside the Kettle Cove Creamery, and you remember that you are actually not running that particular program.

“honk if you're letting the soft animal of your body love what it loves”

Yes, there has been work with clients, writing, various happenings and visitors. But mostly? I’ve been slow. Meandering walks, time in the garden (occasionally corralling Einstein, the chicken my daughter named for her uncanny genius as an escape artist).

I have nothing to show for this time except my own softness.

Which, in a culture of hustle, is not really following the script.

I sometimes joke with clients that learning to listen to our bodied selves is very much off the brochure of what we were taught. Because instead of navigating by what’s required of us out there, we’re listening to what feels good from here. It’s a different kind of compass.

We are, in other words, letting the soft animal of our body love what it loves.

Seeing that bumper sticker gave me hope that this practice might one day become extremely ordinary. Unremarkable, even.

And so, yes, eventually there will be news to share, and events, and offerings, but for now, friends? For now, honk if you’re letting the soft animal of your body love what it loves.

Feel free to drop a note if you'd like to share what that honk looks like (for me, it definitely includes fresh tomatoes and naps). 

Illustration by Sven Nordqvist (from one of my absolute favorite Swedish children's books, Pettson and Findus)