July 31-C, 2022

Our life is about
living into who we are
no matter what.

When we are blocked in that development,
side-tracked,
hijacked,
prevented from knowing
and being ourselves,
there is hell to pay,
seen exhibited before us
in the eruption
of drug and alcohol addiction,
physical, emotional, psychological symptoms
wrecking the health of the world,
because we won't move toward
what moves us
and give ourselves permission
to live wholeheartedly
in the service of our original nature
and innate virtues--
because doing what we love to do
doesn't pay the bills,
or translate easily into hobbies
we can be proud of.

Even the old Taoists had to withdraw
from polite society
and live as hermits
in the mountains
where, they said,
"The clouds know me by name."

People who live out of their own center,
as "one thus come"
just as they are,
do not possess an attractive sociability,
and pay a price for being led 
by their hearts
down roads not taken by the masses.

Just so, following our hearts
may interfere with following the crowd,
requiring a choice we don't realize 
we are making
until we wake up in some form of the wasteland
wondering where we got off track.

Getting back on track
is as easy as remembering what we love to do,
and working it into our life
in a regular kind of way.

–0–