Yoga flow Between Heaven and Earth

I read a quote that inspired me this week, it is by Raymond Carver, written when we was dying of cancer…it was his last poem and it was the epitaph on his gravestone. He said,

“And did you get what
you wanted from this life, even so?
I did.
And what did you want?
To call myself beloved, to feel myself
beloved on the earth.”

It is a precious gift it is to be alive…to be here, now, on the the planet…
Yes, there is pain, yes, there is great suffering.
And yes, this is also a place of great love and the potential for kindness and compassion. Here is the quote from the Post Traumatic Growth Guidebook:

“Resilience is grounded in realistic optimism which involves maintaining a positive outlook on life while simultaneously acknowledging the challenges that will occur along the way. Too much realism can lead to skepticism or negativity, which can squash your dreams and hinder your ability to move forward. Similarly, too much optimism can result in fantasy or idealism, which can cause you to turn a blind eye to actual barriers that are present in your life. In contrast, realistic optimism allows you to have your dreams while also setting attainable goals about how to achieve them. From here you are better able to acknowledge any potential barriers that might get in the way without becoming immobilized. Having a hopeful perspective is invaluable in trauma recovery, and realistic optimism will help you take the necessary steps to walk the healing path.”
-Dr. Arielle Schwartz
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And, you are here, not simply to survive, but to be the creator of your life.

As Mary Oliver says, “Tell me, what it is you plan to do with you one, wild and precious life?”
 
Today’s Poem:

Heaven and Earth
By Arielle Schwartz

It is here, in the space
between heaven and earth
where the realms of potential
meet the realities that bind,
the polarities that define.
It is here where I learn to accept
but not succumb.
Rather I discover the dance,
a whirl of willfulness,
softened by surrender,
Yielding to gravity,
in this space
in between.
It is here,
between heaven and earth,
where I discover
that I was never
meant to carry the grief, this pain.
That which was passed down
from generation to generation.
And I learn to let go,
to set down the burdens,
to find my wings,
to take flight.
It is here,
between heaven and earth
that compassion is found
as a river whose currents
run soft and strong,
whose currents gently carry me
to the shore
while I rest,
softly held and embraced
by the space in between.