Or at least I was when I washed and hung shower curtains three weeks ago. How do I know? The bloomin’ things are backwards! The ruffle is on the inside, not the out. Just noticed it this morning. You know the sad thing? Either no one else here noticed, or they just didn’t give a hoot! (Or, and this is Fim whispering in my ear, they just didn’t want to embarrass you… But if THAT’S the case, Fim, why didn’t they fix the cotton pickin’ things? ❓ ) (These are exactly like mine, different color. But now that I see the green… hm…)
Well I didn’t drop what I was doing (folding towels) and fix them right then. So maybe I’m still pooped out enough to not give a hoot either! And I think that must be the case because I followed a reblog on Quantum Hermit this morning and then followed ANOTHER link on that blog out of curiosity and ended up smack in the middle of one of John O’Donohue’s blessings that I love and have marked in my book To Bless the Space Between Us.
Must admit when I reread his words I felt my shoulders sag, my breath spill out in a gush, and needed to sit down. I thought perhaps there might be others of you out there that needed the blessing as much as I do today since it’s Friday and you’ve probably “traveled too fast over false ground” this week as well. So here you go. I hope it touches your soul where it is weary…
For the One Who is Exhausted
When the rhythm of the heart becomes hectic,
Time takes on the strain until it breaks;
Then all the unattended stress falls in
On the mind like an endless, increasing weight,
The light in the mind becomes dim.
Things you could take in your stride before
Now become laborsome events of will.
Weariness invades your spirit.
Gravity begins falling inside you,
Dragging down every bone.
The tide you never valued has gone out.
And you are marooned on unsure ground.
Something within you has closed down;
And you cannot push yourself back to life.
You have been forced to enter empty time.
The desire that drove you has relinquished.
There is nothing else to do now but rest
And patiently learn to receive the self
You have forsaken for the race of days.
At first your thinking will darken
And sadness take over like listless weather.
The flow of unwept tears will frighten you.
You have traveled too fast over false ground;
Now your soul has come to take you back.
Take refuge in your senses, open up
To all the small miracles you rushed through.
Become inclined to watch the way of rain
When it falls slow and free.
Imitate the habit of twilight,
Taking time to open the well of color
That fostered the brightness of day.
Draw alongside the silence of stone
Until its calmness can claim you.
Be excessively gentle with yourself.
Stay clear of those vexed in spirit.
Learn to linger around someone of ease
Who feels they have all the time in the world.
Gradually, you will return to yourself,
Having learned a new respect for your heart
And the joy that dwells far within slow time.
—John O’Donohue, from “Blessings”
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Ok… Gonna go fix the darn things now…
(See more at: http://www.awakin.org/read/view.php?tid=736#sthash.DvVJFtIc.dpuf)
Picture Credits:
shower curtains — www.wdrake.com
Celtic cross — www.irishcentral.com
Wonderful to read the ending poem as I am recovering from full-fledged burnout. Thank you for posting.
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I hope it helped then. I love John O’Donohue. I find his words very healing. He was a priest and really in touch with himself and God. My favorite book by him is Anam Cara.
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Isn’t it lovely though, how you got to a place you needed. There are no accidental tourists here. 🙂
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As you said on your blog, it really was serendipitous. I love that word. It feels “silky!”
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Well I have always been a dreamer thats how I get through. I have been dreaming for the last two days three beds of ironing will be done each day – so far NOT. Just found a Holiday Inn around Nob Hill, had a look happy with it and the prices just have to sort out can I get around. Thanks for the info.
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Good! Glad it was helpful.
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Reblogged this on Middle Aged Rage and commented:
This.
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Thanks for the reblog, friend. 🙂
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Thank you; I actually really needed that this week.
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Hope it helped. Been a bad week?
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Lots of difficult situations to handle at work and that sense that there just aren’t enough hours in the day! I really liked the poem. Will have to read more of his work.
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I hope the next week is better for you. I HATE work difficulties. That’s one reason I quit when I did. Couldn’t handle it anymore. My favorite book by John O’Donohue is Anam Cara, which means Soul Friend in Gaelic. Haven’t been back often to visit your blog. I got so overwhelmed with how many I was following I had to just stop for awhile. Feeling better now. Have kind of stuck things in the Reader. Will try to get back over soon. Never occurred to me till recently to start with the folks who are leaving likes on the blog and comments on the blog. I’m a little slow on the uptake. 😦 Hope you have a good day.
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I understand! Come back whenever you wish, I’ll be happy to see your comments!
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I enjoyed reading your today’s post. Because of all the activity in my life I often feel exhausted, Thanks for sharing the poem with us.
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Exhaustion is a funny thing. When you’re bustin’ your keister to keep life flowing smoothly you get physically exhausted. Then you turn 64 and you’re home a lot bored out of your mind and you get emotionally exhausted. Then you get mentally exhausted from thinking about how exhausted you get. It’s all a circle! I wonder how many people in our world actually are NOT exhausted in one way or another… That’s part of what’s wrong with our culture, in my opinion. Well I’m glad you found the time to stop by. Looking forward to getting to know you. 🙂
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OMG! I just took the time to read the poem from John O”Donohue…I feel like that is where my journey is taking me as we have been racing through life, going from one task to another for the past 40 years. We are being forced to slow down, listen to the rain, smell the flowers, once again watch the clouds slowly pass overhead and just learn to appreciate the simple things in life. Thanks so much!
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John O’Donohue’s writing is very meaningful. I’ve read his book Anam Cara a few times. He was a priest. Very in touch with the spiritual side of life. The church as a whole lost a good man when he went through the next door. I also have a great fondness for James Kavanaugh who was also a priest at one time. His poetry really speaks to me. I’m glad you stopped by. Looking forward to getting acquainted!
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Oh, how I can relate! I have done the same thing several times and no one noticed but me, but then my husband does have what I affectionately call “man eyes.” 🙂 I noticed it when I was preparing for guests, you know when you REALLY clean!
Also, I loved the quote by Jane Hirshfield under your Wisdom for the New Year! After 65 years of living this thing called life, I understand that truth and I am trying to PAY ATTENTION!
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Isn’t it a shame that we don’t get how it all fits together until we hit our age. I’ll be 65 this year. I keep thinking of what it says in Acts 17: “For in him we live and move and have our being.” Why does it take so long to realize we’re all connected in that flow of life, the spirit, whatever you choose to call it… Truly we DO need to learn to pay attention a whole lot sooner than that. There’s a quote by Malcolm Muggeridge that I love. “…every happening, great or small, is a parable whereby God speaks to us;
and the art of life is to get the message.” To be constantly engaged in that quest is to live.
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You know I love me some John!! ❤️. Men don’t notice those kinds of things….
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I know you love John. We all seem to have that in common, don’t we… Nope, apparently not! They don’t, I mean.
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Oh, I love John O’Donoghue!
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Me, too. I’ve read several of his books, and Anam Cara three or four times. He was such a gentle soul. I also loved James Kavanaugh. He reminded me so much of O’Donohue. They were both priests at some point. I just think they had very old souls.
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Men don’t know what to say or what to do. We went out for Dinner and later on, at home, I noticed that my cardigan still had a tag on it. When I asked him he said “I wasn’t sure about it, so I didn’t say anything.”
I swear I don’t run around with tags still attached to my clothes. Stuff happens, no big deal.
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You’re right! And I think I’m an idiot for worrying about this house so much over the years! But I might just order a different color of that curtain on line. They’re only $17. They actually go outside of the tub. Double rod.
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Just don’t count on it that they will notice the new color 🙂
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Oh, I KNOW they could care less about that. Drollery never minds how I decorate. Well, as long as the TV room stays with the western theme.
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I think my husband wouldn’t mind a princess theme as long as there would be a TV LOL. Men and their TV isn’t that something?
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Yes… Unfortunately. And I am SO over TV. I seldom go down there. Would rather read and mess around on here.
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Did you fix them?
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Not yet. I got distracted cuddling Percy and thinking… 😀
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See, you are a dreamer like me too.
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Nope, not a dreamer, a ponderer. You can ponder lots of stuff without any of it having to do with dreams. Bedtime ones or otherwise.
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