There are a hundred ways to kneel and kiss the ground. – Rumi
These words by Rumi ring in surround-sound in my head. After my morning run, images of the summer flashed in rapid succession. This summer encompassed a potpourri of activities: reading books in the bed in the afternoon, watching my daughter jump in the desert-rain on our patio, and witnessing things out of my ordinary, like the twin waterfalls in Maui. There are other images that flash on my summer highlight reel: eating a homemade meal from my mom, listening to Babel live at a Mumford & Sons in concert, and enjoying my morning coffee. Juxtaposed in-between, I experienced a flurry of varying emotions based on ever evolving interactions with those who are connected to me. The path is never linear. Some days the pavement is lined with bouts of sadness, other days there is so much joy that you feel like you are lighting-up like a firefly.
My summer was filled with so many striking moments and I’ve come to one conclusion: If we look close enough, there are a hundred ways to kneel and kiss the ground. I admit this philosophy takes practice. Since the path is unexpected and curved, there is much uncertainty that always travels with us. But part of experiencing these adversities is acknowledging that we are alive. Even to struggle is to experience. I often lose sight of this, but looking at my life in a continuum helps me understand that the very place where my foot lands is what I need to accept.
In my childhood, my connection to religion and spirituality was entrenched in ritual. As I grow older, I am realizing that spirituality is in the marrow of our everyday. Every single second that passes, the struggles and the triumphs we experience, are not separate branches, but a part of the same trunk of the tree. There are a hundred ways to look up and down and realize the fabric of every encounter is our opportunity to kneel and say out loud, this is where I am meant to be. Right here and now. Kissing the ground.
Kissing the ground…I am trying to remember if this is something I have ever done. All of our days, each moment, hour, day, month, and year becomes part of the fabric of our lives, until a beautiful tapestry is made.
There are a hundred ways to kiss the ground. Practice. Practice. Practice. Acceptance.
What a profound post! Lovely 🙂
I love this. Snapshots of your summer bliss and the struggle to practice those wonderful words by Rumi. It is a practice and we are better for practicing it. Great reminder, Rudri.
This is beautifully written, Rudri, and I especially appreciate this: “But part of experiencing these adversities is acknowledging that we are alive.” As someone who finds unhappiness and stress so hard to tolerate, I think this is important to remember. We are the sum of all our experiences, and often times it’s the hard times that make up the most impressive, most admirable parts of who we are. One of my favorite quotes has always been this one by Mark Twain: “Courage is not the absence of fear, but the mastery of it.” I think about that in going through life…to not be afraid of the difficult times, to really appreciate all that life has to offer us – the good, and the opportunities to grow and learn.
Even to struggle is to experience.
Yes.
What a beautiful and wise piece of writing, Rudri.
Beautiful words. Beautiful sentiment. I have come to know that life is…joy, adversity, pain, good time…to not experience each event, every moment is to stop living. Visiting from Sits Share Fest.
Yes, yes, yes!!
As I grow older, I am realizing that spirituality is in the marrow of our everyday. -Yes! And I wonder why it takes us so long to realize this.