If you looked outside today
you’d swear it would be warm.
Apple blossoms have come and gone
rain has brought rich green to every view.

And with each fire in the wood stove,
you swear it will be the last for the season.

Windows joyfully opened weeks ago
close again as wind blows cold
and we reluctantly grab a jacket
after being lulled by the light.

It’s no big deal, really,
it’s just one of those springs
that comes early
and leaves often
without so much as a farewell.

How are we to be
with all in our lives that feel
not quite there yet?

When things are within our reach
but out of our control?

It’s not easy on us humans
who have discovered how to control so much.

And while there are thermostats
and warm layers to don
in order to adapt to unseasonable cold,
the adaptations are not so easy
for matters of the mind or the heart
that are likewise just out of reach.

It speaks to that delicate balance
of tantalizing anticipation
and the day that is in front of us.

Calling us to breathe deeply.
To open clutched hands
and take a page from
those winged and furred Buddhas
who live just outside our windows
unburdened by the expectation of control.

 

Chris Heeter Signature

 

 

Wild Musings:

I’m not sure it’s so helpful to be able to control so much in our environment—from humidifiers to air conditioners, we’ve discovered ways to make our dwellings quite comfortable.  But it has also narrowed our comfort zone and vastly widened what we consider uncomfortable.  And, while broadening our range of what we can control, it’s good to be reminded that most all of life is uncertain, unpredictable, and therefore a grand and Wild adventure.

A Wild Dare?

What if you looked at areas of your life that feel out of control as a big relief?  You do what you can, of course, you show up, you do your best, but other than that it’s much like the weather.  Go for a nice big exhale as you walk outside in a world that doesn’t really bother with control.  Re-connect with the gift of release and relief that comes when you remember that life is an adventure and would be way too boring if you could control it!