The
Invitation
It
doesn’t interest me what you do for a living
I want
to know what you ache for
And
if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.
It
doesn’t interest me how old you are
I
want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
For
love
For your
dream
For
the adventure of being alive.
It
doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon…
I
want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow
If
you have been opened by life’s betrayals
Or
have become shriveled and closed
From
fear of further pain.
I
want to know if you can sit with pain
Mine
and your own
Without
moving to hide it
Or
fade it
Or
fix it.
I
want to know if you can be with joy
Mine
or your own
If
you can dance with wildness
And
let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
Without
cautioning us to
Be
careful
Be realistic
Remember
the limitations of being human.
It
doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me is true
I
want to know if you can disappoint another
To be
true to yourself.
If
you can bear the accusation of betrayal
And
not betray your own soul.
If
you can be faithless
And
therefore trustworthy.
I
want to know if you can see Beauty
Even
when it is not pretty
Everyday.
And
if you can source your own life
From its
presence.
I
want to know if you can live with failure
Yours
and mine
And still
stand at the edge of the lake
And
shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes”.
It
doesn’t interest me
To
know where you live or how much money you have.
I
want to know of you can get up
After
the night of grief and despair
Weary
and bruised to the bone
And
do what needs to be done
To
feed the children.
It
doesn’t interest me who you know
or
how you came to be here.
I
want to know if you will stand
In
the centre of the fire
With
me
And
not shrink back.
It
doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom
you
have studied.
I
want to know what sustains you
From
the inside
When
all else falls away.
I
want to know if you can be alone
With
yourself
And
if you truly like the company you keep
In the
empty moments.
Oriah
Mountain Dreamer, from the book “the Invitation”, published by
HarperSanFrancisco, 1999.
