I found today this poem hanging on one of the walls of AI office. Indeed we have the best place to work in :)
I wish I have written this poem myself... It is so much describes what I feel we should be
It doesn’t interest me what you do for living.
I want to know what you ache for,
And if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.
It doesn’t interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love,
For your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon.
I want to know of you have touched the center of your own sorrow.
If you have been opened by life’s betrayals or
Have become shriveled and closed from further pain.
I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own.
If you can dance with wildness and let ecstasy fill you
To the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning you to be careful,
Be realistic, or to remember the limitations of begin human.
It doesn’t interest me if the story you’re telling me is true.
I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself,
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul.
I want to know if you can see beauty
Even when it is not pretty every day,
And if you can source your life from god’s presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine,
And still stand on the edge of a lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, “Yes!”
It doesn’t interest me to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair,
Weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done for children.
It doesn’t interest me who you are, how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand in the center of the
Fire with me and not shrink back.
It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you from inside when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself,
And if you truly like the company you keep in empty moments.
~~Oriah Mountain Dreamer, Indian Elder
Hi Sveta...really nice to find your blog...that poem was used a lot by Brenda during her time on AI and it gave me a lot of inspiration as well...although her name sounds like it, Oriah Mountain Dreamer is not an Indian elder as far as I understand, but an inspiring Canadian woman who spent a lot of time training with Indian elders...you can see her website here www.oriahmountaindreamer.com -this poem, "The Invitation", is the basis of one of her books which expands on each verse, and she has written a couple of others also, including "The Dance"...look forward to keep hearing about your inspirations!