The Heart of Living


Please take a minute (or two, or three) to simply stare at the point on the horizon in this picture where the trail disappears. Find a relaxation music channel & hit play. Breathe in and out, looking at that path- going, going into...somewhere.

Hakim Sanai was a Persian poet. I learned of him as I was seeking quotes to connect with this image. He influenced another, more popular, spiritual mystic poet, Rumi. His words I quoted in Dear Teachers this week are almost 1000 years old:

“When the path ignites the soul, there’s no remaining in place. The foot touches ground, but not for long.”


The Persian mystics were also dervishes. I recall the phrase, “whirling dervishes”. They danced in joyous exultation as part of their faith; their feet literally touched the ground but for moments.

To me, this quote’s message is that if we’re engaged in life, we’re going to always be transitioning. Living is not stagnant. I may be in the foreground of that photo, but I am crawling, walking or running toward the horizon. That’s as it should be- with all the chaos, confusion and anxiety that can bring.

I offered very personal reflections in this week’s essay. They are earnest and, I confess, sometimes desperate: I’m pleading to both myself and the reader. We can appreciate what has led up today. We can embrace where we are right now. We can look to that horizon and step forward. All at the same time.

February’s thoughts on the moments before and after the present are at an end, but the work balancing them does not, especially for educators, which can be exhausting. Therefore, next month...self-care!

Best wishes to you this week! (Keep playing the relaxing music- it does a body/mind/spirit good. ;-))




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