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 dream, 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 shriveled
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, or 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. I want to know if you can be faithful and therefore
be trustworthy. I want to know if you can see beauty even when
it is not pretty everyday, and if you can source your life on
the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon.
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 for 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
