My yearlong training in contemplative care is coming to and end. One of the many assignments that we are given is to present a final project at the four day retreat in May that marks the end. It is a very open-ended assignment that in one way or another will relate to our experience over the last many months. To my big surprise I ended up, (very clearly prompted by my gut), writing what actually can be called poetry. Something I have never ever done and certainly never even dreamt of doing. Reading poems by Marie Howe in her book "What the living do" opened up my eyes to a way of writing that I immediately resonated with. I have decided to share the first of the two poems that I will present at the final weekend. The title of the training is Foundations in Contemplative Care.
Foundation
I looked it up.
Merriam-Webster dictionary
Foundation:
An underlying base or support
What is my foundation?
What is my foundation for being the daughter that I am?
The sister?
The mother?
Lover?
Friend?
Teacher?
Therapist?
Care-giver?
What is my foundation for being a fellow human being?
There is a current.
It flows underneath all of those roles.
A founding intention.
I name it “Presence”.
Presence is powerful.
And, Presence makes a difference.
Actually, Presence is the difference.
Presence is the most precious gift I can give someone.
May they be someone I know.
My partner, my friend or my fellow student.
May they be someone I just met.
The bank teller, the waiter, or the person drying my car at the car wash.
Or, someone I see on a regular basis but I don’t know much about.
The mailman, my neighbor, the owner of the pizza place.
It doesn't matter the nature of the relationship.
What I can offer, always, is my presence.
This is a choice.
A choice, and willingness, to be open to the “other”.
To accept them, and respect them. And to see them.
To see them just the way they are, in this moment.
It’s a choice and a willingness to empty myself.
To let go of my expectations. My agenda.
So easy to say, sometimes, so hard to do.
This is what I choose.
And I choose it over, and over and over again.
Presence is my foundation.
