It’s May, It’s May! The lusty month of May! Full of life. Full of change. With each passing day those pale green maple leaves outside my window deepen in color. Just as tulip lips fall to the grass hundreds of sunny dandelions and violets sprinkle the lawn. As the forsythia fades I’m dazzled again by my lilac’s scent and sight… until some new blooming thing catches my attention. I’m thrilled by this perpetual newness, never standing still for more than a breath. Well, thrilled, unless a tornado should blow in with the unpredictable Spring weather to disrupt the pleasant progression. Then I’d find myself a little less accepting of the shifts that keep life always moving forward.
Last week several of us met in a meditation room at Simon’s Rock with eight young women, our first Gathering with Spiriton their home turf. They’d just finished finals and papers and classes, with graduation this weekend.
There was excitement… summer jobs and internships, distant travel and returning home. But at the same time uncertainty hovered in the room. What if the money doesn’t come through for next year’s tuition? How can I manage to communicate with my parents after living away from home? And, now that I’ve graduated there are no jobs in my field… Should I go where the money is and forget my dreams?
These are the specifics of young women’s lives, but uncertainty’s fear AND excitement are constants for all of us. We try to make plans, create order, tack in the edges of our lives. But… whew! The unexpected happens! Jobs change. Marriages shift or end. The kids leave and parents are left asking the flip side of the Simon’s Rock girls’ questions. There’s the thrill… and the terror of looking toward the gaping mouth of uncertainty.
So how do you find the grace to accept what comes streaming at you from the future? How do you calm the frightened child inside needing comfort when your life’s road map goes all fuzzy? And then sometimes I’m sure you find yourself running toward the unknown, knowing you’ll land in clover.
What magical spell lets us trust life like that? What tactics do you find yourself pulling out of your own bag of tricks to sail you through uncertain waters?
This Wednesday evening, May 20th, we’ll share our expertise, deepen our personal reserves, and nurture our blossoming trust in the safety of life, lived open heartedly in the comforting circle of women. Bring your thoughts on the subjects of uncertainty and trust — and a dish to share. We’ll eat at 6, circle at 7:30, and finish by 9.
Invite a friend, and remember to park on my side of the street -24 Benton Avenue in Great Barrington – or at the train station. And please, RSVP to let me know you’ll be coming.