To Begin With…Nourishment

 

Today two lines stood out from Mary Oliver's poem "To Begin With, the Sweet Grass."

...everything is nourishment, somehow or another

Love yourself. Then forget it. Then love the world.

When it comes to nourishment, I think about how I spend my days.

--reading

--watching the sky, the water, the birds

--texting or calling friends and family

--journaling and blogging

—listening to music

--napping

--taking care of my body

--praying

And even when I was living my other life, nourishment came in many forms:

--being with young people

--creating inspiring lessons and writing activities

--knowing I was doing something for the greater good

--being there for my husband in any way needed--sitting through chemo, picking up his meds, making dinner, finding shows I knew he'd enjoy.

These are all about loving myself and doing good work in the world. And I think this is why I have such concern today with the manipulation of our government system that is interrupting peoples' ability to nourish their lives. Losing jobs, health insurance, needed services, and more means a people are brought down. Of course, that's the overall goal, right?

Mary's poem helped me see the reason I am keeping an eye on what is happening is because I love the world. I love how we have stood by each other with shared values. I feel betrayed and disgusted by what is happening, the web of lies, the carelessness.

Now, more than ever, it's community that matters. Nourishing ourselves so we may nourish others. Loving ourselves so we may love the world. And eliminating the evil that would have it another way. 

Do not nourish it.

Do not let it grow.

Nourished inside and out

Our nation faces the biggest challenge yet

We are in a fight to regain values that have been callously tossed aside

And it goes way beyond our nation

as many across the globe are hurt by this heartlessness

I reach inside, I pray loudly, I keep in touch

because to do otherwise will be to let evil win

I nourish myself. I aim to nourish others.

I have hope and faith we will come out on the other side

Stronger, wiser, and more sure

of the meaning of America.