Greetings everyone and welcome to the September update! We are nine months done… and I have questions for you all!
- How is your year going?
- Are you finding that your word is helping?
- And, most importantly, what have you implemented to your days thanks to your word?
You will find the link up at the bottom of this post. I am so eager to read how you all are doing this month!
In the early days of September I stumbled across a poem by Lynn Ungar — a most happy accident! It is almost as if Lynn had her own Yutori Year, and she noted it beautifully in her poem, The Way It Is. I have spent lots of time with this poem this month as I eased into a new chapter of life as I try and accept and assimilate some changes to my days. And Lynn Ungar absolutely helped!
The Way It Is
by Lynn Ungar
One morning you might wake up
to realize that the knot in your stomach
had loosened itself and slipped away,
and that the pit of unfilled longing in your heart
had gradually, and without your really noticing,
been filled in patched — like a pothole, not quite
the same as it was, but good enough.
And in that moment it might occur to you
that your life, though not the way
you planned it, and maybe not even entirely
the way you wanted it, is nonetheless—
persistently, abundantly, miraculously—
exactly what it is.
The Way It is © Lynn Ungar, 2015.
Thank you, dear Ms. Ungar for these words, this meditation, this realization that what it is is exactly what it should be.
Header photo by Suzy Hazelwood
I hope that what you are finding as September draws to a close is that you are nearing the same space… that what it is is exactly where you should be!
If you wrote a post to share, please leave your link below and thank you!
What a fabulous poem! It really does such an excellent job of capturing that moment when you realize something has just worked out the way it should. I think that the older I get, the more I realize that I don’t have as much control over the way life goes as I might want, but I’m also getting more okay with accepting that.
This poem!! Absolutely love it. Thanks so much for sharing it Kat.
This is a poem that I will be revisiting often! I think it’s perfect for all those times I rail against what is not and step into what it is and acceptance. Thanks for sharing!
You couldn’t have shared this poem on a better day, Kat! My 20-yr-old niece just had her heart broken for the first time–she never saw it coming. I’ve been aching for her. My words have fallen short, I’m afraid, at a time when I know she feels like there are no words possible. So I’ll send this in a few days. So glad you found it when you needed it — and, in your wisdom, you’ve shared a balm for others!
Gah!! I just looked up Lynn Ungar and was so happy to see she’s a UU minister! I always lift and celebrate UU’s when I find them… We’re a small but mighty group 🙂 Yay, and thanks again.
This poem fits perfectly with the mood I am in right now, thank you for sharing it with me.
What a wonderful poem. Sometimes life takes turns and twists but somehow and fortunately we find ourselves exactly where we should be. What a good reminder to think on these things.
That’s a wonderful poem that really captures the feeling of contentment that we all seek but often miss even though it’s right in front of us.
What a lovely poem — and serendipitous, too! XO
Fantastic poem and yes that is exactly how life is, and just how I have felt this year since the loss of my husband in 2021. It has taken this long for sure.