The Invitation
Oriah Mountain Dreamer, Native Elder
“It does not 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 hearts longing.
It does not interest me how old you are, I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.
It does not interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your sorrow, if you have been opened by life’s betrayals, or have become shriveled and closed from fear or further pain, yours or mine. I want to know if you can sit with pain - mine or your own. If you can dance with wildness, and let ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning me to be more careful, be realistic or to remember the limitations of being human.
It does not interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to see if you can see beauty even when it is not pretty every day. I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, “Yes!”
It does not interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after a night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done for the children.
It does not interest me who you are or how you are here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back. It does not interest me what – or with whom – you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away. I want to know if you can be alone with yourself, and if you truly like the company you keep in those empty moments. “
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