The Facts of Life: You Might As Well Love

Photography Above by Bruce Eversmeyer, Weaverville, N. Carolina

That you were born
and you will die. That you will sometimes love enough
and sometimes not. That you will lie
if only to yourself. That you will get tired. That you will learn most from the situations
you did not choose. That there will be some things that move you
more than you can say. That you will live
that you must be loved. That you will avoid questions most urgently in need of
your attention. That you began as the fusion of a sperm and an egg
of two people who once were strangers
and may well still be. That life isn’t fair.
That life is sometimes good
and sometimes better than good. That life is often not so good. That life is real
and if you can survive it, well,
survive it well
with love
and art
and meaning given
where meaning’s scarce. That you will learn to live with regret.
That you will learn to live with respect. That the structures that constrict you
may not be permanently constraining. That you will probably be okay. That you must accept change
before you die
but you will die anyway. So you might as well live
and you might as well love.
You might as well love.
You might as well love.

by Pádraig Ó Tuama

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How rare it can be to have someone in our lives who we feel safe enough with to talk about what’s really on our minds and in our hearts. To witness our journey without judgement or advise, no matter where it takes us.

Or perhaps it is just that we haven’t cracked open our own hearts to the awareness and acceptance that it will be shaken, at times broken, and in moments – yes, sprung wide open enough that we will finally allow the fullness of life in without running away or hiding.

For if we don’t allow all aspects of life in then what is it all about anyway?

Perhaps this is what our being here, especially at this time in the earth’s history, is all about. The practice of being with another with a wide open heart, listening mindfully without interruption, and witnessing while allowing their own moments of clarity to emerge.

Can we allow ourselves to be that vulnerable and seen when it is our turn to be lovingly witnessed ?

A lifelong practice for certain and one I personally am more aware of than ever before. It has taken me three quarters of a century to learn this art of being with another….and with myself. And I am still learning through the ups and downs of embodied life and through friendships.

So many opportunities that come and go in our lives as people enter, stay for awhile – or longer – and then leave for many and various reasons. Grieving those lost opportunities where we were not capable or aware of “being within love” and getting in the way of what could be.

All on behalf of illuminated connection, understanding and the freedom held within being known

– and traveling this earth walk unalone…

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“A friend knows our difficulties and shadows and remains in sight, a companion to our vulnerabilities more than our triumphs, when we are under the strange illusion we do not need them.” – David Whyte

A deep friendship is one in which we feel seen and loved for exactly who we are. And when we are in someone’s company and they are in ours, we have agreed to bear witness to each other, and that is a beautiful thing – when we feel safe enough to talk about what’s really on our minds and in our hearts.

When we bear witness, we lovingly give our attention to the other without judgment. When we allow another to bear witness to us, we give ourselves the freedom to be known. It is an honour to bear witness, if we choose to see this life as an opportunity for extraordinary growth. So here’s to doing so in strength, in weakness, with resilience, with love.

Filmed in Portland, Oregon, United States.
Featuring Anis Mojgani https://www.thepianofarm.com/about

This new film release is the fourth story to form part of our Something Beautiful for the World collaboration together with Happen Films and Campfire Stories. If you missed any of the previous three films, you can see them here :

Belonging – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z44qW19GMBg
Rewilding a Forest – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5ozGHIK03A
Be the Change at 85 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAaKB4T5mIg

Sending love to you all.
Justine and Michael x

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Gaye Abbott, Wildly Free Elder, 04/20/24