Catching up on posts to the focusing discussion list this morning, I was delighted to come across a poem that meant a lot to me a decade ago: “The Invitation” by Oriah Mountain Dreamer.

I was particularly struck by this:

Because I was reading it freshly after a long absence–and reading it within the context of focusing–I took it as an invitation  to ‘source my own life from the presence of beauty’ right at this moment.  As I accepted that invitation, this is what happened:

I began by asking myself: am I sensing the presence of beauty right now?

… yes!

So for a long minute I simply sat with the palpable presence of beauty, before any words or thoughts about it…

And then, looking out the window, I saw a bird soar up to clear the building.

…yes! that’s an instance of this presence!

‘Sourcing myself from‘ this presence… now what does that phrase invite, in this moment?

I sat quietly with the feeling of the invitation, with the palpablility of the invitation, just waiting…

…Ah, the pace!  It wants the exact pace that has room for the soaring bird.  Sitting here planning my day, it wants me to make room for the bird!

I felt a little mist of tears–gratitude for the bird, and for the gift of this poem, and for being reminded of it:  for the invitation to shift my day into a softer slower key.