And as the ax bites into the wood, be comforted in the fact that the ache in your heart and the confusion in your soul means that you are still alive, still human, and still open to the beauty of the world, even though you have done nothing to deserve it.
Interpretation
Embrace your feelings as a sign of being alive and connected to the beauty around you.
This quote highlights the importance of acknowledging and accepting the pain and confusion we experience in life as evidence of our humanity. The author reassures us that such feelings are natural and indicative of our capacity to appreciate the world's beauty, despite any external circumstances that might make us feel undeserving.
In practice
During a motivational speech about overcoming life's challenges.
I was ravenous for my child and took to gorging myself in the boneyard, hoping that she might possibly meet me halfway, or just beyond, one night, if only for an instant—step back into her own bare feet, onto the wet grass or fallen leaves or snowy ground of the living Enon, so that we could share just one last human word.
There is my father whispering in my ear, Be still still still. And yet you change everything. What was the marsh like, waiting for the storm before you came and kneeled in the water? It was nothing. Watch after you leave the water, now cold and regretful, miles from home, certain of the belt on your backside, the cold shoulder, the extra chores; watch. Watch the water heal itself of your presence--not to repair injury but to offer itself again should you care to risk another strapping [...].
We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.
Know your worth! People always act like they're doing more for you than you're doing for them.
Imagine your anger to be a kind of wild beast, because it has ferocious teeth and claws, and if you don't tame it, it will devastate all things even corrupting the soul.
One percent doubt is zero percent faith.
Your soul - that inner quiet space - is yours to consult. It will always guide you in the right direction.
The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.
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