Determining purpose is one of the most challenging areas of life. But we can look to other life forms and quickly make up a kind of purpose: all rivers flow to the sea because that s where they belong; plants “drink” the sun because they are lovers of the light. To me, metaphor opens a channel to our wisdom, a way of finding and giving guidance about how to live. If water belongs to the sea, then humans belong to humanity. Who do you hold onto in your heart? How might you express the place those dear ones have in your heart before disappearing?

I wrote this prose-poem after reading a Rumi poem. I realized I was working at it, striving to understand what he really meant, and truly “get it.” Then, I had a little epiphany: I haven’t really worked that muscle in a while and was struck by the effort of making connections and threading together a deeper meaning from the words on the page. When I realized that the form of my writing matched the message of the content, I thought I would post it as a little challenge to see who might “get it.” . 

What keeps you going when you have hd enough, when you feel the struggle is too much, or you feel like your effort is in vain?

One of the great themes of life is the relationship between personal agency (choice and volition) and the greater forces that move us where they will (the “hand of providence”). When choice and chance align, it is truly as if we are blessed by the stars. How do you balance choice and chance in your life? How do you relate to the greater forces of life?

If you are not attentive, the world will take you, hijacking your spirit for its own ends. The hidden message in the popular dream of the world that we can "have it all" (that we can be rich or famous or above the rest) is that we must give our all to the dream. But if that dream is not truly yours, then you lose yourself in the bargain. What do you do to make sure you hold on to yourself in a world that wants to take you over?