When I was a Forest

When I Was the Forest

When I was the stream, when I was the
forest, when I was still the field,
when I was every hoof, foot,
fin and wing, when I
was the sky
itself,

no one ever asked me did I have a purpose, no one ever
wondered was there anything I might need,
for there was nothing
I could not
love.

It was when I left all we once were that
the agony began, the fear and questions came,
and I wept, I wept. And tears
I had never known
before.

So I returned to the river, I returned to
the mountains. I asked for their hand in marriage again,
I begged—I begged to wed every object
and creature,

and when they accepted,
God was ever present in my arms.
And He did not say,
“Where have you
been?”

For then I knew my soul—every soul—
has always held
Him.

–Meister Eckhart (1260 – 1328)

I heard this poem at yoga today...my second yoga class. I sort of ditched my to-do's and hit up a restorative class in the middle of the day. I'm so glad I did - (perhaps my to-do list, heavy from all of it's non-doing is less pleased with my life choices. Screw you sticky notes! That's what I say).

I have been in an interesting, weird funk the past few days. I care about nothing, just being outside. I don't even necessarily 'care' about that either, it just feels right being in the mountains. That's all, just feels right. Do you ever feel that way? Unmotivated to do things that usually you find such purpose in?

Either way, this poem made me realize I'm fine. It's not fine to shirk duties all the time, but it's fine to just be. We're far too often on our way somewhere, becoming that person, creating that purpose, that project, that life. I often need to remember that I'm just another living thing, existing for existing's sake. Today, it feels good to be, and nothing more.