Ok…so there are a million things I could talk about today.

Like, the lesson I learned last weekend while shooting lots of guns (basically…when you’re scared of something, it usually means there is some growth that is wanting to happen that you just need to push through).

Rifles A' Plenty

Or my thoughts and feelings about my upcoming hunting trip this weekend (excited!curious.conflicted)

Or how it’s weird leaving the house I’ve been renting for the past ten days to start traveling again, just as I was getting settled in.

But really, I just wanted to share this poem with you. I stumbled upon it (from my awesome coach friend, Rebecca) while distractedly checking Facebook instead of actually writing this post.

I have never read a poem that so much summed up exactly how I feel about love. And the kind of person I want to end up with. So here it is and I hope you enjoy it.

THE INVITATION:

It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me how old you are
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dreams
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon…
I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life’s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your
fingers and toes
without cautioning us to
be careful
be realistic
to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand on the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes.”

It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after a night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the center of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep
in the empty moments.

-Oriah Mountain Dreamer

What do you think? Do you agree with any of this?

Also…it’s Gratitude Friday. The time where we get to share with each other the things we’re all grateful for. I’ll go, then you go.

I’m grateful for:
This poem. Old friends that remind me of things that I tend to forget. Being included. Being alone. Seeing a great live band. Being surprised. A coffee shop with an extensive tea list. Good conversation. Coaching. My amazing photographer and friend, Nikki Jumper. Shantastical. Hoop earrings. Braids. Painting my nails. Cuddling with my pup. Men who can cook (thanks Tyson and Johnny for feeding me this week). Country music. Being on this adventure. Being out of my comfort zone. Writing. Reaching out for help. All of you reading.

Ok…now you go. Leave a comment below and tell the things you are grateful for this week. Have a killer weekend. See you after the jump!

Xo,
S