Re-entry
I’m back from my travels, from going coast to coast, from relishing in the quiet coastal air of Oregon to immersing in the loud frenzy of New York City. The past two weeks have been a whirlwind ~ tranquility, creativity, and collective spirits as well as intense learning, fighting oppression, and radical research methods. I have much to integrate from these two very disparate journeys. And to be quite honest, I’m a bit discombobulated. This re-entry is feeling rocky. I need time and space…time and space to cull back the feelings, the connections, and the embodiment of my time in Oregon with The Tribe…time and space to consider the direction of my research and work.
While I’m recollecting and re-collecting the two halves of my West coast and East coast sojourns and all that they entailed and unveiled, I’ll leave you (and me) to dwell in the beautiful words of poet, David Whyte. I shared this poem at the start of The Tribe retreat and it serves as a good reminder to me as I look forward…to not get ahead of myself, to not feel pressured to have it all figured out, to start close in.
Photograph by Rebecca Murphy
Photograph by Rebecca Murphy
Tags: Community, Travel, Universe
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I love this poem and I LOVE the pictures of you and your Tribe. I am a bit envious of you for what seems to be your very rich relationships with other women. This is something I am really trying to work on, but requires vulnerability which has always been hard for me. Take your time. And take your space. Be kind to yourself. I constantly have to remind myself of that too.
I know how I felt after only one leg of that journey, so I can imagine! I sure love that poem, and find myself reciting lines to it to myself all the time. In fact, I think I’d like to memorize it. What a gift your well-timed poetry gave us! Take some time this weekend to DIY with yourself and just *be.*
Love this poem, and love the accounts of the way it set the tone for the whole retreat … gorgeous, gorgeous. Can’t wait to meet you in a few weeks! xo
Could you have put two more impossibly different weeks side by side? I don’t think so! But I know your strength, and I think given some time and quiet you will find your footing in both those experiences and see that even though you might not feel it presently, you were changed in all the most amazing ways. And those changes, my dear, are never lost. Sending hugs.
Welcome back Meghan. Love the poem. Hope to see you soon
Thanks for sharing that poem. It’s really great. I’m about to copy it into my journal.
I hope the next couple of weeks are kind to you and give you that time you need. Sending love your way.
Start with the fist step. Thank you again for sharing that poem. Though nothing really can replace the sound of your voice reading out loud. You have just returned from 2 very big journeys, give yourself time to sink in and process it all. xoxo
Thanks for sharing this poem — love, love, love it! I find myself constantly focusing on starting close in and focusing on the first step because life is really just a series of first steps, right? I hope that you allow yourself the time and space to feel what you’re feeling and to keep living the questions. Love you!
I am so proud of you for embracing your whirlwind with such grace. You are the person who gives others strength, even when you are feeling blue, or tired, or unsure. Without you, think how many first steps may not have been taken…..
Megs! Happy for you for your special travels and happy that one of your NEXT trips will be to the Rocky Mountains with US!! Love you,
Laura
[...] Without question and with no hesitation, the words to David Whyte’s beautiful poem “Start Close In” most capture 2011 for me. I have big dreams and new longings that are calling to me, and I [...]
[...] a creative retreat. Although I’ve gone through this type of landing and resettling twice before, it still feels surprisingly rocky and discombobulating. As bumpy as this internal re-gathering [...]