I’ve referenced this John O’Donohue poem before.
Fluent
I would like to live
Like a river flows.
Carried by the surprise
Of its own unfolding.
O’Donohue (1956 – 2008) was an Irish philosopher, writer, and theologian. Ireland is in one line of my personal ancestry. These days, I find myself paying extra attention to some of what is affiliated with Ireland. Ballentine for me — this was some of the geography in Northern Ireland. It was Great, Great, Great Grandparents that migrated to settled lands in Eastern Canada, whose traditional peoples that region (near Niagara) included the Haudenosaunee, the Attiwonderonk, and the Mississauga.
My context for using this poem this time was an “end point” for a circle of 12 people in which we each contributed story to the question — What is potent and poignant in your learning now?
It was one of those times when I offered awareness that
- sometimes we choose our learning and sometimes it chooses us (we exist in an ecosystem of life intelligence)
- it is our listening in circle that sometimes listens a story out of us (it’s not just the speaking in circle, but also the quality of listening that calls us to share what we share)
- it is wise to dare to bring our potent and poignant learning to a village of people (village and community is structure for sharing, evolving, loving ourselves and each other)
Fluent
I would like to live
Like a river flows.
Carried by the surprise
Of its own unfolding.
Potent and poignant learning…, flowing like a river…, carrying us to surprise…, and unfolding.
I’m grateful for this flow with these people.