I thought after death had its way with us, you would have stopped trying to get somewhere. You would have stopped making up conclusions. But you still take what you go through and force it on others, making the world into a silhouette of your pain. Yet this never frees us. We just keep praying to what is missing. I know. For I painted the strangers I met while lost with the colors of my sadness, wondering if anything mattered. Then, just as I was about to give up, something gave way, including my want to make everything like me. Sure, it was frightening. But when the Mystery of Oneness washed over me, experience dropped me into the common well below our names, where what happens to one of us happens to all of us. And then, the way a boulder tired of holding on slips into the sea scattering the fish into a glimmering pool of light, I began to cascade anonymously. Now, I can only say that though what pains us may be different, where it hurts is always the same. This is how we find each other.
A Question to Walk With: Describe one way in which you feel life is “over there.” What is it you think is “over there” that is not where you are? If your want to get somewhere is a mirror, what undeveloped aspect of your soul is this desire showing you?
This excerpt is from my book in progress, The Signature of Being.
*Photo Credit: Austin Neill
On August 29 Mark will be offering a free reading and conversation on centered on the theme Growing in Place: Strengthening Our Roots (Aug 29, 2020, 1-3PM ET). Registration info is at live.marknepo.com.
He is also offering 3-session webinar in October called More Together Than Alone: The Power and Spirit of Community (Oct 4, 11, 18, 2020, 1-2:30PM ET).
Registration for the this webinar will open Sept 1 at live.marknepo.com. If you’re moved to join either of these, Mark looks forward to meeting you.
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