“Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet
confinement of your aloneness
to learn
anything or anyone
that does not bring you alive
is too small for you.”
– from “Sweet Darkness” by David Whyte
Move towards aliveness. As best you can, keep moving towards it.
Resist the pull to the middle, miles from the edge of your experience. The edge of your experience is where aliveness lives.
Aliveness is not “happiness” or “satisfaction.” It is not “achievement” or “success” or “confidence” or “knowing.” These are too small, too confining.
Aliveness is a persistent invitation, found both in the bright light of day and the darkest hours of the night. It is the invitation we all feel to have a bigger conversation with the unknown than we believe we are capable of having. It is the first, tentative steps toward a kind stranger, the first uncertain words spoken in greeting. It is saying, “yes, I will keep walking and see where this leads.”
Aliveness is a loyal companion, wagging with exuberance when we arrive home at the end of the day, ready to play. It begs us to step out, to engage, to explore.
When we decline, it lays down close by, resigned to our disinterest, and hopeful for what tomorrow might bring. Maybe tomorrow.
Move toward aliveness. Begin a new conversation, one that starts with “Yes.”
Margarita the Super Dog
