Sunday, December 28, 2008

Learning to Adjust

I love the idea William Stafford put into my head with his poem "Learning to Adjust." The idea is this: what comes your way isn't an accident. Even if it doesn't have your name on it. There is a gift for you: something to smile about, something to open.

We spend our lives wishing they were different. We spend our energies wishing we were other than who we are. We neglect what we do have, wishing we had something else. But how marvelous when we can look steadily at what we are given without rejecting it. Sometimes, just being in the moment with ourselves and our circumstances can reveal to us the presence of God - and what can be a greater gift than that?

1 comment:

Christi Krug said...

Even though I didn't post it here (I don't have permission), I did get to read this wonderful poem, "Learning to Adjust," in January at a William Stafford Birthday Celebration in Milwaukie, Oregon.