What is Your Thread?
October 4, 2012 Leave a comment
|Image by Joey Lin| http://www.flickr.com/photos/limjoeypics/4307737993|
I’ve found myself gravitating more and more to this poem, sharing it with others often in the context of system change work. In these times of flux on so many fronts, the good news from my perspective, is that we are being asked to loosen our grasp on the myths of fixity and solidity that no longer serve us. On the other hand, letting go can be very disorienting. With so much changing, what can we count on? What guides us through? What is the thread that you follow?
The Way It Is
There’s a thread you follow. It goes among
things that change. But it doesn’t change.
People wonder about what you are pursuing.
You have to explain about the thread.
But it is hard for others to see.
While you hold it you can’t get lost.
Tragedies happen; people get hurt
or die; and you suffer and get old.
Nothing you do can stop time’s unfolding.
You don’t ever let go of the thread.
~ William Stafford ~
No Comments
Thanks for this Curtis. For me, the thread is the pursuit of justice, grounded in my faith and my understanding of the responsibilities of the faithful.
Thanks Curtis for sharing, I have been reading up on my Chinese mythology and I am particularly inspired by the “Red String of Fate”. According to the legend, the gods tied a red string around the pinky of everyone who is meant to meet in this life. The string can stretch and tangle but it can never be broken.