Recently, we were privileged to spend time with David Wythe, a poet, storyteller, and business consultant. Not only is he very charming (with a British accent) but incredibly gifted in his ability to capture the human spirit and story in poetry.
In his poem, Start Close In, he begins:
“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.”
Don’t we always want to hurry to the end result, skip past the painful stuff to get to the good stuff?
Wythe urges us to slow down and deal with the “real” issue first. He gives us some clues how to do this. His poem continues:
“Start with the ground you know,
the pale ground beneath your feet,
your own way of starting the conversation.”
“Start with your own question,
give up on other people’s questions,
don’t let them smother something simple.”
There you have it, start with what you know, start with yourself, don’t look outside yourself or to others, rather, take time to find you own answers within. It is way too easy to pull out a book, or search the Internet, or call your friends and ask them what to do …. what is called for is to stop all the doing, slow down and listen to what you are saying, feeling, wanting or know to be right for you.
Take time this week to breathe, listen and, in the silence, you will find your answers.
Take the first step … not the second or the third … just the first.
Mary Anne and Theresa
