How do we live a life of meaning, of significance? To answer this
timeless question, it may be helpful to read closely and respond
personally to the words of wisdom from Oriah Mountain Dreamer:
It doesn't 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 heart’s
longing.
It doesn't 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 doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want
to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, and if
you have been opened by life’s betrayals or have become shriveled
and closed from fear of further pain.
I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without
moving to hide or fade it or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, and if
you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the
tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful,
be realistic, or to remember the limitations of being a human.
It doesn't interest me if the story you're telling me is true.
I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself,
and if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your
own soul.
I want to know if you can be faithful and trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see the beauty even when it is not pretty
every day, and if you can source your life from its presence.
I want to know if your can live with failure, yours and mine, and
still stand on the edge of a lake and shout to the silver of the
full moon "Yes."
It doesn't interest me to know where you live, how much money you
have. I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief
and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to
be done for the children.
It doesn't interest me who you are, or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with
me and not shrink back.
It doesn't interest me with whom you have studied. I want to know
what sustains you from the inside when all else fails away. I want
to know if you can be alone with yourself, and if you truly like
the company you keep in the empty moments.
