Quieting

Before the Noise

I began to listen

to life —

to show up

and listen

to what was around me,

perhaps as our ancestors

once listened —

before all the noise.

And so I began

to listen

a little more deeply —

not analyzing each sound,

but waiting for the music

to continue,

noticing my own part

within in it

and outside of it.

And I couldn’t imagine

it being any other way.

Quieting

Straight Through

Life continued to unfold

with all of its challenges

and pain

and beauty.

Questions like

Who am I

and the unshakeable

determination to keep

showing up

became more important

than any one insight

or set of

explanations —

pulling me each time

back a little more

into Self —

not deeper down

into thought,

but straight through

all if it

to its core —

where I sensed intuitively

and found great relief

in knowing

this as my center.