Some people wake us up.*

Of the many callings in the world, the invitation to an adventure of an awakened and full life is the most exhilarating.  This is the dream of every heart.  Yet most of us are lost or caught in forms of life that exile us from the life we dream of.  Most people long to step into the path of creative change that would awaken their lives to beauty and passion, deepen their contentment and allow their lives to make a difference.**
John O’Donohue

I am grateful to those who keep me awake,
Especially those who disrupt and disturb and unsettle –
In the best kinds of ways – what is
going on in my mind, heart, and soul.

They keep me on the alert for confirmation bias,
A stunting of the soul, which, according to Clarissa Pinkola Estés
requires feeding with asking questions, creating stories and
making things:
The craft of questions,
The craft of stories,
the craft of the hands –
all these are the making of something,
and that something is soul.
Any time you feed soul,
it guarantees increase.^

Joshua Rothman suggests that we notice
our quirks and enthusiasms towards becoming more
who we are – a feeding of our souls:
Even seemingly unimportant or trivial elements
can contribute to who we are …
We tend to downplay these sorts of quirks and enthusiasms,
but they’re important to who we are.^^

Why not take a moment to write yours down –
Always better than running them through the mind –
Or ask others to identify some for you,
And then lean into these and see what happens,
Whether you feel more awake.

*gapingvoid’s blog: Make Your Impossible Dream a Future Reality;
**John O’Donohue’s Divine Beauty;
^Clarissa Pinkola Estés’ Women Who Run With the Wolves;
^^Rob Walker’s The Art of Noticing blog: Life In the Details.