You Reading This, Be Ready
William Stafford
Starting here, what do you want to remember?
How sunlight creeps along a shining floor?
What scent of old wood hovers, what softened
sound from outside fills the air?Will you ever bring a better gift for the world
than the breathing respect that you carry
wherever you go right now? Are you waiting
for time to show you some better thoughts?When you turn around, starting here, lift this
new glimpse that you found; carry into evening
all that you want from this day. This interval you spent
reading or hearing this, keep it for life -What can anyone give you greater than now,
starting here, right in this room, when you turn around?
These words are telling me:
- Begin your day with intention. Move through the day in ways that will leave you feeling whole and at peace when look back at it in the evening.
- In any way possible, give your attention to one thing at a time. Break old habits, change priorities, or physically turn off the distractions that keep you from being fully present to the person or task at hand.
- Take notice of your beautiful little boys. Take them for exactly who they are, right here in this moment. They love and need you unconditionally.
- Take notice of your big boy too and make sure he gets your attention, support and praise. The husband-wife relationship is fragile and strong – all at the same time.
An odd encounter with a massage therapist last week is sticking in my brain. Her (unsolicited) advice about my “really bad posture,” she said, ” You can’t fix this unless you are ready to do the work it would take. Most people don’t.”
I feel the urge to make so many changes to improve myself, be a better mom, make a greater difference in the world. And at the same time the very thought of it is overwhelming. Am I ready? Am I willing to do the work it will take? Will I get discouraged when the benefits are not instant or when I backslide or fail?
And then, there is another voice that says something like, “You are already enough. You do enough. You’re not broken. There is nothing to fix. Take one day at a time. Be present. It’s all you can do.”
