Daily Nourishment for August 30, 2024: Start Close In
Daily Nourishment Read Time: 40 seconds
Pause/Prompt/Practice Time: 15 minutes
“Start close in,
don’t take
the second step
or the third,
start with the first
thing
close in,
the step
you don’t
want to take.”
- David Whyte
Pause.
Take six deep breaths with a six-count inhale and a six-count exhale while reading the words by David Whyte above.
And/or do a few rounds of this breath prayer:
Inhale “Start close in”
Exhale “Start with the first thing”
Practice.
Here’s a note David Whyte wrote about the poem above:
“Inspired by the first lines of Dante's Comedia: written in the midst of exile from his beloved Florence: the difficult act we all experience, of trying to make a home in the world again when everything has been taken away; the necessity of stepping bravely again, into the dark wood, when the outer world as we know it has disappeared and has to be met, and in some ways made again, from no outer ground but from the very center of our being. The temptation is to take the second or third step, not the first, to finesse the grief and the absolutely necessary understanding at the core of the pattern, to forgo the radical and almost miraculous simplification into which we are being invited. Start Close In.”
What’s one first step that you need or want to take today?
What other first steps do you need or want to take in the coming weeks as you transition to a new month?
Want More?
Read River Flow: New and Selected Poems by David Whyte
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Many thanks to Noelani Boyd for letting me know about “Start Close In” by David Whyte.
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Upcoming Workshops & Gatherings
—The September Co-Writing calendar is coming soon! The first week’s sessions have been added to the private SDW Google calendar. Please let me know if you have any questions. You can email me at charlotte@charlottedonlon.com
—Spiritual Direction for Writers® + Enneagram for Creativity Gathering will take place on Friday, September 27th and Saturday, September 28th. You can register here. All registered participants will have access to recordings.
—August 31— Online Revision Stations Designed by Lauren F. Winner
Today’s Daily Nourishment was provided by Charlotte Donlon.
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