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The Far Shore

9/7/2022

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gently,
on the softest breeze,
a dandelion fluff
floats directly to me,
skimming the surface of the lake.

from within the spokes,
a spider 
salutes me.

she stands,
a hand on a mast,
captaining her life.

we recognize each other, 
sharing a moment of eye-contact,
peer-to-peer,
​

before she sails away.

I am certain
this spider
is steering her fluff-boat,
trusting life,
and her own ingenuity,
to deliver her to the far shore.

we vagabonds know
life itself
awaits 
on the far shore.

we captains know,
to reach the far shore, 

we only need
a make-shift raft and
to improvise


when to 
steer
               and
                       when to 
                                           float 
                                                       on a ripple.
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Why Bother? (A Poem)

8/28/2018

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Picture
I stumbled across this poem on Facebook  yesterday.

In case you can't read my hand writing it says:
Why Bother?

Because right now, there is          someone

out there with

a wound                                           in the exact shape

                                                          of your words.

-Sean Thomas Dougherty
from The Second O of Sorrow

My heart was struck. It was what I needed to read. It was so good that I stopped everything I was doing to hand write this poem in my bullet journal. It's on the back side of my monthly calendar for September, so I'll be able to look at it all next month.

I've been feeling a bit discouraged lately, faced with flinging my effort into the void that is the internet. I so so so want to bring my work with NVC, both how I use it with my relationship with my self and with my beloved, into the world. I so so so want to support people, to help us all feel empowered to change the world. And I understand that I cannot do that if people don't know I (and my work) exist, thus social media. 

And yet I feel daunted, overwhelmed, and disheartened these past few days, primarily about working online. How much to share? On which platform? Does it really make a difference? Will anyone see it or respond? Does blogging, mail lists, facebook, youtube, instagram... does any of it really help me to get my offered support out there and received? Am I just spinning my wheels? Am I inserting myself on a hamster wheel of my own making? 

What's the point? Why bother? were questions and feelings rolling through me the past few days.

I've been exhausted by my day job, standing on my feet for hours, and very disillusioned by the financial state of the world... I would love to go back to school but do I really want to take on more debt to do so, when I haven't paid off my student loans yet? 

I dream of recreating Eden on Earth, of role-modeling a sustainable way of living and being on this planet. 

And even if I do build a business, would it be enough to acquire for my self the small farm I dream of? And more than that, do I really want to engage in capitalism further? 

And so on my thoughts and feelings and needs rolled around in me over the past two weeks or so.

Then, yesterday, I came across this poem and my painful wonderings bloomed in my heart into a full "yes!" feeling. "There is someone with a wound the exact shape of your words." Tears fill my throat, but in a beautiful way. In a way that reflects how SEEN I am in this poem, how held and accepted. My effort is worth it. 

And now I am remembering the kind responses I've received from people who've gotten coaching from me recently. Words reflecting, for example, how a session with me was "more effective then therapy" or how they were feeling overwhelmed but after an hour and a half with me, they were feeling "hopeful". Just as my support, my words filled the wound in their heart, so too did their words fill the shape of the worry in my heart. 

I am feeling so grateful for this poem, and so happy to have come across it in this time.  Thank you Sean, your poem is the exact shape of the wound in me. 

Resources:
Read the original post I saw on Facebook of this poem.
This is the author's Facebook page.
​Get the book of poems here.
Book coaching with Selene here.
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Poem: Welcome Home to the Present Moment

3/15/2018

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my heart is unfurling
my heart is unfurling--
a microcosm of opening spacial infinity
                             warmth
                                   depth
                                         light
                                            whole

the universe is found in my heart
and I
the bold explorer
going there inside myself

the Divine is there
meets me at the door inside myself:

welcome home,
welcome back to the present moment.
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    Selene Aswell
    GIFT ECONOMY COACH

    Selene is a facilitator, speaker, and coach. 

    Her work, based on NVC, is focused on needs-consciousness raising and integrating nonviolence into human relationships and communities.
    ​More about Selene. . .

    Book Selene
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    SHUA YOUNKIN
    Mindfulness COACH

    Shua has lived in intentional communities for most of the last decade.

    Shua has been actively integrating NVC for 13 years. Shua 
    enjoys building and fixing things, contact improv, practicing Focusing, and regenerative agriculture.

    ​More about Shua. . .
    Book Shua
    Gifted Workshop Recordings
    Exploring Gift Economy
    Assumptions Underlying NVC

    ​Intention Setting
    Listening to Connect
    Listening to Understand
    Committed to Nonviolence

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  • Blog
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      • Exploring Gift Economy Calls and Recordings
    • Needs Consciousness >
      • Intention Setting
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      • Listening to Connect
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    • Committed to Nonviolence
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      • Why NVC?
      • Printable Feelings/Needs Cheatsheet
      • DIY Needs Cards
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  • Support Us
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