What does it take to be faithful enough in the unfolding of our lives that we let go of our tight grip, our hurry, our trying to control... and fall into letting ourselves be the kind of person we long to be? How might we learn that life will always surprise us, and instead of trying to remove the surprise let ourselves be brought to life by it? And what might it be to lessen the grip of 'hurry' - one of the dominant stories of our times - and discover the depth and meaningfulness of what and who is already around us?



This week's Turning Towards Life is hosted as always by Lizzie Winn and Justin Wise of Thirdspace.



Turning Towards Life, a week-by-week conversation inviting us deeply into our lives, is a live 30 minute conversation hosted by Justin Wise and Lizzie Winn of Thirdspace.  Find us on FaceBook to watch live and join in the lively conversation on this episode. You can find videos of every episode, and more about the project on the Turning Towards Life website, and you can also watch and listen on Instagram, YouTube, and as a podcast on Apple, Google, Amazon Music and Spotify.



Here's our source for this week:



No Agenda



Don’t do more, hide less.

Transparency is forthright

but goes with the flow.

Embrace change, and allow it

to be different than you thought:

surprise, you will not be

painting outside this afternoon.

Stop outlining. Progress pirouettes,

and pivots on a dime, supple and agile,

not just ploddingly focused forward.

Let the rain pour down on your plans.

Relax into the poetry

of dry earth quenching its thirst.

Be unabashed, unhurried,

able to simply listen with no agenda.

Be meanderingly happy;

content if the story takes a detour,

or diverges the long way around.

Only good can go on, so there’s

no reason to be impatient with passivity,

just savor each morsel of life as it comes.

Know, feel, and embrace the expanse,

and serve better by erasing

obstruction and artifice.

Shine your unselfed better self

with equanimity

and bolster others

with your derived

strength and clarity.

Remove every hurt or deception

with your minuscule

grain of mustard seed faith

moving mountainous impediments

by sending them slinking off,

tail between their legs, ashamed.

All while sitting in this rocking chair,

watching the water gushing in rivulets,

drumming out a palliative cadence,

soothing and serenading every heart here

with rounds in three part harmony,

in a repeating refrain

full of friendship,

restitution, and joy.



by Polly Castor

pollycastor.com



Photo credit: Unsplash / martha dominguez de gouveia