Door in the Rain

What’s Left  (for Peter Hennessy)

I know more or less
how to live through my life now.
But I want to know how to live what’s left
with my eyes open and my hands open;
I want to stand at the door in the rain
listening, sniffing, gaping.
Fearful and joyous,
like an idiot before God.
 ~ Kerrie Hardie ~

Education is what teaches us.  Life is what we experience.  Feelings direct us.  In time, all of these things blend together in an expression of the authentic self.  We can be taught something, and experience something, but until we feel something, the deep rich picture simply does not unfold.

Education is absorbed or neatly filed away.  Life experiences are taken in stride.  Feelings, however, are carried with us supporting, distorting or enhancing who we choose to be. 

None of this does us any good, however, if we never ask ourselves how we feel.  If we repress our emotions, build walls for protection or numb the pain, we are not fully cognizant of who we really are. 

Rain stimulates growth and cleanses nature just as tears release emotion and cleanse our souls.   If we can feel raindrops gently falling upon our heart, cleansing and preparing for a new day, we can choose to dismiss our fears and respond with joy.