A Gentler Way

The time came

to find a gentler way,

to turn back

from the path of mind —

retracing my steps

just a little.

…

At first it felt

a bit lonely,

as there seemed to be

fewer taking this turn.

And I admit I missed

the crowds at times

and the paved roads

and maps.

…

But as I walked this

strangely familiar path

unfolding in front of me,

I began to remember

what it felt like

to walk on the earth,

to be free to notice

and allow my attention

to fall where it liked,

to experience the world

around me

and inside of me

without a constant

narrating mind.

…

And sure enough,

just as I had guessed,

I was okay

in this place —

where everything was

as it had been —

feelings and sensations

and challenges

and thoughts.

But without the narrator,

without the constant story,

they had taken on a

lighter feel,

softened somehow —

along this path

of the heart.