As Close as My Own Breath, Episode 389

Written By Justin Wise
 

We long to be present in our lives, and we run from it too. In a culture which emphasises the running - into distraction and avoidance - how might we turn towards the intimacy of presence with our own lives and what we care about the most?

Why does this even matter (and it does!)? And how do we do that without dishonouring those parts of us that want to protect us from the inevitable tragedies and losses that come along with beauty and sacredness?

This week’s conversation is hosted, as always, by Lizzie Winn and Justin Wise of Thirdspace.

Episode Overview
00:00 Introduction to Turning Towards Life Live
03:01 The Importance of Community and Connection
06:01 Exploring the Poem 'Prayer' by Marie Howe
08:53 The Struggle Between Presence and Distraction
11:44 The Human Condition: Longing and Running
14:58 Finding Humor in Our Inner Conflicts
17:51 The Sacredness of Everyday Life
21:05 Navigating the Complexity of Life
24:04 The Balance of Beauty and Tragedy in Existence
27:13 The Role of Presence in Our Lives
30:08 Conclusion and Reflections on the Conversation

Here’s our source for this week:

Prayer

Every day I want to speak with you. And every day something more important
calls for my attention – the drugstore, the beauty products, the luggage

I need to buy for the trip.
Even now I can hardly sit here

among the falling piles of paper and clothing, the garbage trucks outside
already screeching and banging.

The mystics say you are as close as my own breath.
Why do I flee from you?

My days and nights pour through me like complaints
and become a story I forgot to tell.

Help me. Even as I write these words I am planning
to rise from the chair as soon as I finish this sentence.

Marie Howe

from The Kingdom of Ordinary Time (Norton, 2008)

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

Justin Wise
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Horizons, Episode 388