Feelings of Restlessness
Sometimes this time of year can lead to feelings of restlessness or feeling out of place as we consider our purpose. Poet Mary Oliver encourages us to do so while in nature, to get moving while being mindful of the life surrounding us. It doesn’t always feel like there’s much life out there in January, but try it out. See what’s out there in the quiet stillness of the woods. What birds do you hear calling to each other? What winter buds do you see on the branches? What do you smell on the cool breeze?
Mary Oliver reminds us that nature brings the comfort and freedom that our culture can’t. As we decompress after the holidays, and perhaps remove the expectations that we or our families have put on ourselves, we can see the opportunity for renewal as we fit into the greater world of nature.
Enjoy one of my favorite pieces of poetry, Wild Geese by Mary Oliver. Written in her freestyle verse, take this advice from our wise friend.
“It’s also true that I believe poetry ... it’s very sacred. It wishes for a community. It’s a community ritual, certainly. And that’s why, when you write a poem, you write it for anybody and everybody. And you have to be ready to do that out of your single self. It’s a giving. It’s always — it’s a gift. It’s a gift to yourself but it’s a gift to anybody who has a hunger for it.”
