I have long been a fan of Mary Oliver's poetry. For example, in her
poem "The Summer Day," I have always loved her final question: "Tell me,
what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"
That's a question with which to live—and one that can take a lifetime to really answer.
However,
the other day I heard her interviewed (a rare occurrence for her); and
she used a phrase that struck me then and days later, makes my heart
sing each time I think of it. She spoke of being "positively drenched in
enthusiasm."
Isn't that a beautiful image? In a world
that can often be so filled with negativity (just tune into the news on
any given day), it's lovely to imagine being "positively drenched in
enthusiasm." What a way to live. Of course, we are realistic people. We
know we won't live every moment that way. But perhaps we could aspire to
spend more time in that space going forward than we have in the past:
"positively drenched in enthusiasm."
Just imagine a
world like that. What might be possible? How might our daily exchanges
be different? How might our lives change as a result? Surely we can at
least live into that—perhaps starting with even just an hour a week. As
always, our goal is progress, not perfection—even when it comes to
enthusiasm. Wouldn't we add more happiness and joy to our world?
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