To Maria. And you.
So be brave.
When the voices come in the night, and whisper to you that there are dangers,
and you are frightened.
And be brave.
When people who should know better tell you that you can’t follow your heart,
and that your spirit should smother and wane.
And be brave, when people tell you that they know better
than you, how you should live,
and the world around you tells you every day why you are small,
and insignificant, and why nobody wants to hear your story.
Be brave,
when a world driven nearly mad by fear and greed
frightens you and makes you feel alone, and weak and
unhealthy. And the Corporate Nation tries to sell
you safety and health,
and to make you see the earth in one
or two small and angry ways. That make you small.
Be brave enough to find your own news,
and to seek out
the many good people who will help you be strong,
and healthy, and who will love you, not frighten you
and live in their dramas and fears and anger, and yours.
Be brave,
and become a warrior,
for love and beauty and compassion.
– Me.
_____
“So come to the pond,
or the river of your imagination,
or the harbor of your longing.
and put your lips to the world,
And live
your life.”
– Mary Oliver, “Mornings at Blackwater