i get to... more

-- artist Brian Rolfe --

“In many Shamanic societies,

if you came to a medicine person complaining of being disheartened, dispirited, or depressed, they would ask one of four questions.

When did you stop dancing? When did you stop singing?

When did you stop being enchanted by stories?

When did you stop finding comfort in the sweet territory of silence?”

—Angeles Arrien wrote this in the forward to Gabrielle Roth's book --

i love to dance, to lose myself in the rhythm, and join the melody of music. i love to sing; especially when i am alone - loud and intense, with a microphone and a videographer… in my mind. i also love to listen to and to tell stories. i am fascinated by how people think, the types of stories they share, and what it says about them… and me. i am also amazed at the people of this world - other people and myself. i am amazed at how interrelated we are. i wonder at the who and the why of people, and i enjoy spending time with people - i relish listening to their philosophies, learning their nuances, and experiencing adventures together. i have learned i am not in this life truly alone, and though i tend to be a loner, i am also a social being.

i also love being outdoors, in nature - under the bright rays of the sun, enjoying the bite of a breeze, feeling the splash of rain, or wondering at the beauty of falling snow. i also love silence, quiet moments, soft serenity, and simple reflection. i find comfort in knowing that if i can sit alone… in silence and listen to the voice within me - like in meditation, then i can be in a better place with all aspects of my life. i am comforted knowing there is a guide within me, waiting to share with me the things i already know - the things i don’t know, but can know, if i ask and then listen… in silence.

i’ve seen people come and go, succeed and fail, live and die, cry and laugh, sing and dance, celebrate and hibernate.  i’ve seen a lot, i’ve learned a lot, i’ve also experienced a lot. in fact, i’ve experienced more than i know and that’s okay. the more i experience, the more i get to know; and even though the more i know, the more i realize there is so much that i don’t know; that is also okay - it means i get to have more chances to know more and to experience more. it also means i get to dance more, to sing more, to wonder more… be fascinated and amazed more (at the stories i read and hear, and at life), and i get to spend more time in the comfort of silence and meditation. basically i get to live more, and enjoy the more i’m living...