The Listening Post

'It is only with the heart that one can see rightly.

What is essential, is invisible to the eye.'

Saint-. Exupery, The Little Prince

There is a need in everyone for reflection.. Not all of us will allow ourselves this, thinking it a luxury we cannot afford, or because we are fearful of what we might discover long overlooked within our hearts. It can be a scary encounter. But if we are brave and look lovingly towards ourselves, there is much to be gained. 

I like to call the time we spend alone, pondering. It can also be called praying, or contemplation, daydreaming or musing. It's probably a combination at times of all of these things. What matters is that we do it. When we accept that we have an inner life and an inner voice, and that we can be with that part of ourselves, then our outer lives open and deepen in ways we may never have anticipated. Removing ourselves from the daily hurrying to go off with ourselves for just a little bit, brings us closer to something not only nourishing, but comforting and powerful that has been longing for us. This deeper part of ourselves has been waiting and waiting for an opportunity to show us that our lives are meaningful in ways that cannot be translated into tangibles. We discover that what we hunger for the most are those things that cannot be touched, but only felt.

These lines from Saint- Exupery--especially the words 'one can see rightly' eloquently affirm the role of the heart as a guide or scout we can trust as we navigate the sometimes treacherous paths we take. It is an inner compass which is always attuned to a safe destination and will constantly readjust our course when some of our choices leave us confused and disoriented about the next step. It knows the way.

The natural world I believe exists not just to support us physically. Equally as essential to our survival,  through our experience of its beauty and majesty, it acts as a listening post for us to hear our hearts. It doesn't have to be a spectacular vista or landscape. It is available to us anywhere. We find it in our neighborhoods during our morning walk before work or when the kids are finally in bed and we can sit on the back steps and look up at the night sky. It is there  as we quietly savor the way the trees move in the wind as we walk to our cars or smell the freshly cut grass. All that is required is for us to come alone with an open heart. Everywhere around us, the world of trees and ground and sky offers to us a limitless expanse that can take in all the refuse of our emotions and thoughts as we sort through ourselves. That thoughtful sifting rests and restores us in profound ways. We may not be able to arrive at answers, but we will find nourishment for the struggle. Those quiet interludes spent in the true Real World of nature spill over into our daily lives bringing richness and resilience as well as increased awareness of how we relate to others and the world. By learning to be still and ponder and listen we learn life while often confusing and mysterious, remains wondrous and beautiful because it is meaningful. We discover that what we do with our feelings and thoughts matters and that our lives, with all our warts and scars and sticky places, are truly something.