One World

 The other day, I was walking in North Ponds Park, feeling invigorated by the cold, early spring wind. I watched a Blue Heron take off across the pond and fly through the slate colored sky toward the shaft of sunlight shining through the clouds. The sight was so beautiful it took my breath away and I imagined myself flying through the same sky, "free as a bird", letting all my cares and worries go.  I thought of a favorite poem by Mary Oliver called "Poem of the One World":

This morning
the beautiful white heron
was floating above the water 

and then into the sky of this
the one world
we all belong to

where everything
sooner or later
is a part of everything else

which thought made me feel
for a little while
quite beautiful myself.

Oh, this one world we all belong to.. where there is beauty and joy, pain and sorrow, all interwoven. If we are going to allow ourselves to feel, we have to experience it all and give to others whatever is in our heart to give, in full measure. 

We certainly cannot ignore our own mortality. When a friend or family member dies, it's like a slap in the face; a wake up call to remind us that this life is precious and every moment matters. Whatever we do creates ripples that impact others in either positive or negative ways and can have lasting repercussions.

We cannot change what is in the past, so it's best to hold what is precious close to our hearts and let the rest go. Regrets serve no purpose and can keep us bogged down in depression.

Freed from the past, we can take a lesson from the heron and soar into this new day, embracing the now, because it's all we really have.

Praise for the morning!