This beautiful poem was shared with me recently, and caused me to reflect.
Wild Geese, by Mary Oliver
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting—
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
How often do we berate ourself for not being good enough, achieving more, or living up to other people’s expectations?
How much simpler and more enjoyable life would be if we stopped to listen and look at the world around us, and realise we are a part of nature, and like everything else have our place in the family of things.
I have always drawn inspiration in the wisdom of others, and I love sharing as I learn. Through the years, I’ve collected my favourite quotes and in 2023, I compiled more than 200 of them into “
About the Creator
