I’m so grateful to the criminals who defaced municipal property to install a labyrinth in my cul-de-sac. It’s been pretty convenient to just stroll out the middle of the circle when I need to find clarity and ‘re-center’ myself…
This labyrinth walk took place on September 5, 2021 in the labyrinth at Salem Court. Here is what I was taught/reminded:
Heart work is hard work.
Healing from hurt. Trusting enough to love. Learning to forgive. Looking inward at your own darkness. Speaking up rather than shutting down. Hoping.
Trying. Again. And again. And again.
Heart work is hard work.
Hope. Hope is as much a place as it is a state of being.
Hope is a state of mind independent of the state of the world. If your heart's full of hope, you can be persistent when you can't be optimistic.
Hope is the place where you wait… and the wait will be worth it.
There are pages and pages of quotes and stories about hope – oftentimes in tandem with patience. Most of them tout it as a gift, a lesson, a sign of maturity, or some other ‘growth’ opportunity. When you are riding the waves between hope and hopelessness though, it can be just plain HARD. In the encouraging moments, it feels like you are being stretched in a good way- like the stretch you have after a long, luxurious nap. In the tough times, when hope starts to slip and feels more elusive, it just feels interminable.
It is reassuring to know that our hoping (and waiting) will not be in vain.
All human wisdom is summed up in two words; wait and hope.
