Saudade

By Oriah Mountain Dreamer

It doesn’t interest me what you do for a 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 dream, For the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if 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 fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain, Mine or your own, Without moving To hide it or fade it or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, Mine or your own, If you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes Without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn’t interest me if the story you are 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 be faithless and therefore be trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see beauty Even when it is not pretty every day, And if you can source your own life From its 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 the 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 the inside When all else falls away.

By Marianne Williamson

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness That most frightens us.

We ask ourselves Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.

Your playing small Does not serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking So that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, As children do. We were born to make manifest The glory of God that is within us.

It’s not just in some of us; It’s in everyone.

If all else fails, buy a fixer-upper in Iceland.

Kuli the one-eyed cat started surfing when he was 6 months old after being rescued from the streets of Honolulu. He has no fear of water because he was bathed a lot while recovering from eye surgery.

As far as surfing cats go, Kuli is a pro - although he does wear a teeny-tiny-yet-functional life preserver on occasion.

He seems pretty content with life, even immediately following surgery.

I just want to point out that you may never again see another photo that includes a one-eyed cat, drenched in water, floating on a surfboard, perfectly chill, in front of a double rainbow.