This morning
the beautiful white heron
was floating along above the water
and then into the sky of this
the one world
we all belong to
where everything
sooner or later
is a part of everything else
which thought made me feel
for a little while
quite beautiful myself.
– Poem of the One World by Mary Oliver
Over the past few months, there has been so much happening in the world. When I read this quote, it illuminates why becoming ONE is so important. Connection is so much stronger than division, and so much more difficult at times. Divided we fall. But united? United we soar but not in the way you might think, and this quote sheds light on why.
When we see beauty in ourselves, the purity in our hearts, and we find that one glowing ember that makes it worth getting out of bed in the morning, we move through the world with a sense of belonging that has a magnetism and power that a divided world never possesses.
We redesigned our blog this year in honor of our decade wandering the globe. We choose ONE word each month (or perhaps it chooses us) and share a story and mindfulness practices from around the world that foster connection with others by bringing us home to ourselves. This is why ONE is the word for December. As John O’Donohue penned:
“When one is at home in oneself, one is integrated and enjoys a sense of balance and poise. In a sense, that is exactly what spirituality is: the art of homecoming.”
We truly believe that no matter whom we welcome “home” this season, the most
important thing is to feel that homecoming within, and then, when we open the door, there will be a new radiance beyond our circumstances or our company.
Here are the words we have explored so far this year…
OPEN, BLOOM, BASK, FREE, FLIP, QUESTION, GLITTER, STAY and ONE
OPEN: not closed or blocked, allowing access or vision, unfold, spread out, not
exclusive, expansive, not covered, exposed. A passage or view through a space…
BLOOM: Something is blooming all year if you are quiet and know where to look…
BASK: We can bask in silence that communicates volumes through pure presence and joy. Isn’t that the essence of arriving, celebrating, and having it all?
FREE: Our wish is for all the world’s people to know the joy of “a gentle laugh as our awkward limbs remember freedom.”
FLIP: Begin to build the muscle. It is fun and it is contagious. It doesn’t mean anything is wrong with our current path but there is energy in the FLIP and you can only find it by doing it…
QUESTION: This is one thing we can control. The hope we feel welling up inside as we stand on the precipice of a new chapter is perhaps the most important of all things…
GLITTER: And I thought maybe we create a map back to ourselves by plotting points of awareness of the tiny, glittering flashes of brilliance. And maybe others can see their way through moments of darkness with more clarity when we pay more attention to sending forth our light.
STAY: This time of year, things get busy. There is a palpable hustle and bustle as “doing” mode kicks in. And yet the purpose of the “doing” is to create memories that we can truly only imprint on our hearts from a state of being…
ONE: Wholeness is the highest and healthiest version of any person, family, community, state, province, country, and world.
Remember …
ONE tree can start a forest
ONE smile can begin a friendship
ONE drop of bravery is enough
ONE gaze can make someone feel seen
ONE gift keeps the spirit alive
ONE shared meal can build community
But … being ONE is never done. It is always in a state of becoming and the beauty is in the hope that is fostered along the way.
Our ONE wish for you this holiday season is that you are OPEN to BLOOMing and BASKing in the beauty you create. We hope for you a feeling of FREEdom and courage to FLIP something every day and find joy in the fresh perspective. We dream of new QUESTIONs that will arise for you and take you somewhere sacred that GLITTERs and inspires you to STAY in the moment just… ONE breath longer, to see this morning and the beautiful white heron that was floating along above the water and then into the sky of this … the one world we all belong to.
