I have been thinking a lot lately about life, how we spend it, how we measure it, how we value it, and how we fit into the grander scheme of things.
I have found that the greatest insights into these questions are found often by just paying more attention to our daily experiences, and most importantly, taking time to reflect on these and share our insights with others.
Thus, I am hoping that this blog will be a space for:
- Engaging in questions about all the different ways life is lived and what makes it meaningful
- Sharing the challenges and beautiful moments of everyday existence
- Sparking new ideas about the relationship we have with ourselves, those around us, and the environment
The name of this blog is based on a transformative experience I had in the Grand Canyon a few years ago, which was one of the most grounding, connected moments in my life. Below is a short poem inspired by this experience that I wanted to share. Have you experienced this feeling of vastness and connectedness? If so, when? Please share your thoughts.
South Canyon by C.P.
Standing there bathed in the moonlight
The slightly wet sand pushing up between my toes
I am connected
The core of the earth pushing up on me
Through all those layers of molten rock, soil, sand
While the earth is pulling me closer
And I, firmly balanced on the interface, stand still
The moonlight gently dancing on the moving water
Making its way, gracefully towards the sea
Not delayed by the stillness of the night
I stand there as part of the system
The air brushing my arm, caressing my body
As if to say, yes you belong here too
You are part of this moment, and the next, and the one after
You have a place in this world, have always had a place
You just got lost and distracted by the bright lights of the day, the noisy streets, the worries and concerns clouding your mind from understanding the oneness of everything
You thought you were alone and did not belong and yet all along
We have remembered that you have a place here
And even when you leave, you can take this feeling with you
And remember that wherever you are, that you belong there too
So when I look up at the full moon now, and the stars are drowned out not only where the moons light blocks them, but all around me, because the lights of the city erase them from view.
I realize that the stars, they are still there, and that the worries, material stuff, negative feelings that I stack around me every day are not the substantial bricks that I sometimes convince myself of, but are really just passing clouds, transient in the long run
Because the moon and stars will still be there when I am ready to look at them and feel their presence
And the stillness of the canyon is still there even though I’m not there to witness it
And I remember that I do belong in this swirling world,
Even when my feet do not connect to the core of the earth, perched high up in my tall apartment building
I still belong, and I still am an integral part of the greater being
In ways that I will always seek to discover, but never fully understand
moonlight on the water 
Your poem and your reflection reaching out into space to the rest of us makes me feel connected through a spirit of curiosity and a common need to understand how we are the universe and the universe is us. My mother said today that she just has to look outside her window at the seemingly dead branch of a dogwood reacting to a force in its makeup that causes leaves of a specific shape, color and nature to appear from the grey bark and eventually even white flowers, symbols of the miracle of order in the universe. Then the flower interacts with a bee, and then all the other plants, animals and minerals of the planet, while carrying on a specific pattern unique to its one species. When my mother describes her awe with goosebumps arising, I felt my connection through her to the whole universe that she described. I will write to you again about this but I wanted to let you know right away at the end of this sociable, spiritual Easter Day how excited we are and how much we appreciate your beautifully chosen words and efforts to gather and increase our consciousness of oneness. Love, MJ
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