I am by no means a Mary Oliver aficionado. The Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet had a vast canon and none of it graces my shelves. (A crime which I aim to remedy; I think I’ll start with Felicity and work my way backwards, unless you have another recommendation for me?)
One of you put me on to her poetry a while back, and I have since kept an eye out on social media, via one of many fan accounts. There’s something about the simplicity—the obviousness—of her writing that really appeals.
This one in particular hit home, for obvious reasons:
DON'T HESITATE
If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don't hesitate. Give in to it.
There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be.
We are not wise, and not very often kind.
And much can never be redeemed.
Still, life has some possibility left.
Perhaps this is its way of fighting back, that sometimes something happens better than all the riches or power in the world.
It could be anything, but very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins.
Anyway, that's often the case.
Anyway, whatever it is, don't be afraid of its plenty.
Joy is not made to be a crumb.
~ Mary Oliver (from the collection Felicity)
How gorgeous is that?
I think we all too often believe that the ‘good’ stuff in life has to come with fanfare. The mind sets such conditions for happiness, and we strive so hard to keep it satisfied—ticking off its endless needs—we fail to notice the real joy that can be had at any moment.
The real joy that’s always there.
I caught myself worrying just the other day, and in the catching, a simple question seemed to arise:
What would life be like right now, if my attention wasn’t on this insurmountable-seeming problem?
🤔
Up to that point, it had looked like joy was locked away behind the resolution to that problem, and the key was missing.
But the simple question put paid to that illusion, instantly, as I examined not just what life would be like, but what it was like.
Turns out, it was actually amazing! I fell right out of all my thinking and into a space of quiet, calm gratitude.
Not gratitude for a list of stuff, but the simple appreciation of being… and the fact that the capacity for ‘appreciation’ and ‘being’ and ‘falling out of my thinking’ are even a thing!
I noticed it “in the instant that love begins.”
So why not look for it today? It’s right there – under your nose!
Do not be afraid of its plenty. It’s your birthright.
It’s what you’re here for.
💝
Giles
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Giles P Croft
Poetry from a galaxy far, far away.