When things in work start to overwhelm me and cause a struggle, or when someone does something that causes fear, I notice that two things tend to happen – I get a type of tightening or contraction in the body and a feeling of speeding up in the mind. So this poet’s petition is a nice one to echo on this Saturday morning: Let the day begin gently, and let space enter in, expand and slow me down. Let the leaves fall one by one, and may their letting go permeate into my bones.
We do not have to learn how to contract; we find it easy to turn away, to freeze and to blame…
We do have to practice letting go and holding the heart open, to learn how to soften:
O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow.
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know.
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
One from our trees, one far away.
Retard the sun with gentle mist;
Enchant the land with amethyst.
Slow, slow!
Robert Frost, from October.
photo david mastin
