One Wild and Precious
"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"
-Mary Oliver from The Summer's Day
Dear Mary Oliver,
Your poem asks the reader an important question. If we know life here on earth is limited, what should we do with it?
It's my mom's birthday this week, but sadly, she's not with us to celebrate. When I think about the age she was when she passed away from cancer, I'm reminded that I'm not that far away from her in terms of my age. If I were to live as long as my mom did, I would have about four years left to live. I don't live in fear or paranoia, but I do live with an awareness of the finite nature of life. In the meantime, I do what I can to live healthy and do my best to walk a journey guided by my values.
I should add here that I'm not into FOMO—"Fear of Missing Out." I'm not into fear of anything, for that matter. Fear is a poor motivator. I don't want my life's direction to be guided by what could go wrong or feel pressured to do something when it doesn't feel right.
I'm an explorer who loves his family, strives to live generously, and helps others to be less afraid. This is what I want to do with my one wild and precious life.
These values are the filters that help me decide what I'd like to do next. Knowing my values also helps me recover from disappointment and allows me to hold my plans lightly.
"...You don't know the first thing about tomorrow. You're nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, "If the Master wills it and we're still alive, we'll do this or that."- James 4:14-15 The Message
Living with this expectation is an ongoing exercise in staying humble.
I think we're more than a wisp of fog, but I resonate with James' poetic perspective. We should be decisive about the things we'd like to do with our expectations tempered by the knowledge that we only have so much time.
Anyway, thank you for writing the poem "The Summer's Day" and challenging me to do the best with the life I've been granted.
Jordan