The final lines of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Aurora Leigh is a favorite poem:
“Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God,
But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.”
― Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Ordinary people saying yes to living extraordinary lives. There is a difference between extraordinary and simplicity. There are individuals who have learned the art of both. Perhaps the key is just finding those ‘common bushes’, taking our shoes off and enjoying the sights or the people who have discovered the ‘art of living’, even if it’s just briefly.
As a musician I know the value of time, it’s importance. Learning to stop and see. Breathe. Remember. Breathe. Appreciate. Stephen Sondheim songwriter/lyricist writes: ‘stop worrying where you’re going, move on…if you can know where you’re going….you’ve gone…move on, just keep moving on.’
“Moving on” is a fantastic concept but remembering where you came from so you don’t go back there is also helpful… Let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water either. There are places and people to bring in the moving. Everything in the past isn’t so bad.
Life’s rites of passage complicate matters or more accurately we do. “Clouds” get in the way —Joy and sorrow. ‘Clouds’ blow about; it becomes easy to forget about the ‘common bush’, staying grounded. The beauty and ‘serendipity’ of this adventure called life is discovering where the ‘clouds’ take you, then trusting enough to take off your shoes and see glimpses of heaven———–all that it allows—here and now—
What will you do? Spend a few moments and gaze at the clouds in wonder, take your shoes off and feel the grass beneath your feet, share a glass of wine and lovely conversation with a friend or even pluck a few blackberries…..cherish the time…..it’s a new day, a new year
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BethSings 