I spent some time outside that I really needed….these are my photos from a more peaceful time.

The Journey by Mary Oliver
One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice – – –
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
‘Mend my life!’
each voice cried.
But you didn’t stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations – – –
though their melancholy
was terrible. It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice,
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do – – – determined to save
the only life you could save.
so happy you are back, love the poem…it’s truly a time for reflection and self reflection-how to reach out to others from a distance with love, comforting and hope…this too will pass.
Happy to see you Lin..we have been long-distance friends for years now..Michelle
I guess this is a time we need to look into ourselves and work to find peace at this time of stress.
Yes we do, but it is not easy during these times
It so often seems as if Mary Oliver has walked right beside us on the same path. I’m glad you were able to get outside. That’s the way I save my “one wild and precious life.”
I feel that Mary Oliver speaks for so many of us Sallie…
I love Mary Oliver’s poetry. Do you have her book Devotions? Stay healthy!