Living Life and Loving Someone on the Inside

I discovered this quote today on FB and I just had to share.  It pretty much sums me up. And as I've been thinking about what I want to say, what perspective do I really want to share...this poem below speaks volumes.  Oriah Mountain Dreamer gets to the nitty gritty heart of it ~  It speaks to my soul and I hope it speaks to yours.  This is a great description of the space I hope to create with my blog.

"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 centre 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... to be realistic

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.

If you can be faithless

and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty

even when it is not pretty

every day.

And if you can source your own life

from its presence.

I want to know

 if you can live with failure

yours and mine

and still stand at the edge of the lake

and shout to the silver of the full moon,

"Yes."

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 the night of grief and despair

weary and bruised to the bone

and do what needs to be done

to feed 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 centre 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