Filed under: Uncategorized
Surely my teeny clan of readers, who are a well-read, well traveled, well-fed bunch, have heard of Desiderata before. One of our CSPP professors had a huge poster of it framed in his at-home therapy office.
The days are shorter now, and winter is settling in. Time to fatten up, bundle up, spend a little time reflecting and restoring. At Alameda yoga station, one class each month is dedicated as a "restorative" class. I really appreciate the presumption that restoration is important. It’s a class where one sets up the body with all sorts of strategically placed bolsters and supports to relieve pressure, and then simply lays there, breathing mindfully.
As we reflect back on the year,many of us must unfortunately mourn losses and accept and count dissapointments amongst the milestones and achievements.
The state of my country has me seriously pondering whether the Mayans were right, that we would manage to self-destruct by the year 2012. Career-wise I left an agency and people whom I adored and admired, in pursuit of personal growth. Whereas I do not regret my decision, it was nevertheless, a difficult, sad one.
And most notably, 2007 has brought the deaths of three individuals who I truly, deeply loved, and were at the heart of my family. (Sensei Furuya, whose eulogy is in this blog archive, my paternal grandmother Mrs. Pao Chi Hsu, and my dear Uncle Pei who was always my Taiwan home-base).
I know I am not alone in this, the aches and pains of the human condition. One of my poor interns recently had one of those therapy days where "3 out of 4 clients was crying their eyes out." I’ve had a few days like that myself as well, sitting in the room with someone’s raw pain- admiring their resilience, doling out kleenex, wishing their luck would turn for the better, reassuring them that they were not crazy, and that this, too, shall pass. This week my little private practice has suddenly received a flurry of phone calls, new potential clients all feeling the ill effects of life in Silicon Valley, where restoration opportunities are scarce indeed.
Thus in this setting I was reading an excerpt from Desiderata, and it reminded me how much I like the poem in its entirety.
Thus, a reminder to all: pace yourselves. "do not distress yourself with dark imaginings…" and "be gentle to yourself."
Desiderata
Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.
No Comments so far
Leave a comment
Leave a comment
Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
