The Middle

“By enduring our way to the calm at center and endearing our way to an expansiveness of spirit, we can return to this elusive state of inner tranquility. And however brief the peace, the underlying calm of life will free us from the weight of our self-reference.  Again, not to pull us out of our lives, but to move us more deeply into them.” – Mark Nepo, Seven Thousand Ways to Listen

Life throws a lot at us. At times, we move around the edge, on the petals to catch our breath and pause. But the depth, dimension and richness of life is found in the middle, in abundance and scarcity. Push and pull. In and out. Up and down. In the sweet nectar of the center, our spirit is renewed and engaged as it expands and contracts.

“Hope is definitely not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.” – Vaclav Havel

Life is overflowing with goodness and light that overcome the shadows that remain. And when awake in gratitude, we accept the truth that our days are filled with both enduring and endearing. Surviving and thriving, all at once, at the same time. And hope remains and resides right in the middle.