DUST ON THE BIBLE

The Invitation

It doesn¹t interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart¹s longing.

It doesn¹t interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn¹t interest me what planets are squaring your moon...
I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life ¹s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us to
be careful
be realistic
remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn¹t interest me if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
³Yes.²

It doesn¹t interest me
to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn¹t interest me who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn¹t interest me where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep
in the empty moments.

© Oriah Mountain Dreamer, from the book
The Invitation published by HarperSanFrancisco, 1999

Decide today to find enjoyment and fulfillment in whatever you happen to be doing. Decide to simply and honestly enjoy the real person you are.

Look beyond the mere fleeting pleasures and set your sights on real, substantive enjoyment. Enjoy yourself in a way that says yes to life and to those things that are deeply important to you.

Don't fall into the trap of thinking that you must feel guilty about enjoying each moment. For the more you truly enjoy and find real fulfillment in what you're doing, the more you will contribute value and goodness to the world around you.

The most consistently enjoyable and fulfilling activities are those that make a positive difference. The more earnestly you seek real enjoyment, the more you'll find that you're giving of yourself.

Though the world has many problems, so too does life offer boundless possibilities for true enjoyment. Enjoy being a part of it all, and in so doing you'll make it all that much better.

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