Undone
The Sun by Mary Oliver
Have you ever seen
anything
in your life
more wonderful
than the way the sun,
every evening,
relaxed and easy,
floats toward the horizon
and into the clouds or the hills,
or the rumpled sea,
and is gone–
and how it slides again
out of the blackness,
every morning,
on the other side of the world,
like a red flower
streaming upward on its heavenly oils,
say, on a morning in early summer,
at its perfect imperial distance–
and have you ever felt for anything
such wild love–
do you think there is anywhere, in any language,
a word billowing enough
for the pleasure
that fills you,
as the sun
reaches out,
as it warms you
as you stand there,
empty-handed–
or have you too
turned from this world–
or have you too
gone crazy
for power,
for things?
“There is more to life than increasing its speed.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Efficiency
Progress
Checklists
Speed
Grind
More, more, more
Never enough
Multi-tasking
Getting ahead
Hacks
Shortcuts
Formulas
3 easy steps
The race
To where?
Why?
Are we having fun?
Things need to get done.
Many things do not need to get done.
Choosing where to put energy, effort, attention is where our power lies.
Relationships, generosity, kindness, asking, listening, empathy, meaning, purpose, joy, delight, laughter, frolic, presence, fully aware, awake and in awe.
May you choose to undo as often as do.
Putting down, creating space, stillness, rest, reflection, fun, wandering, lost in time for a bit.
Depth more than width.
Gratitude over gripping.
Turtle pace to see the view.
Joy, beauty, slowness, engagement, enthusiasm, energy and light.
May all of these be yours in both the doing and undoing.
“Above all, trust in the slow work of God.”― Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
