September 17: Oprah and Deepak Chopra, James Dickey, "The Strength of Fields"

Every day, when I rise, I tell myself that I'm going to try to be the best person I can be.  I didn't get that from Oprah or Deepak Chopra.  It's just a little practice that I started a while ago.  Of course, as the day progresses, I mess up, get angry or sad or impatient.  Sometimes I say terrible things to people (my friends and wife and family).  Now, that works for Donald Trump for some reason, but it doesn't work for me.

In a little while, I have to drive my daughter to a dance lesson.  When I go home to wake her up, she's going to probably be crabby and teenagery.  I'm praying I don't lose my temper with her.  Later today, I have to rehearse at church with my musician friends for worship tomorrow.  Musicians can be quite temperamental.  Hoping that I don't have to deal with too much temperamental this afternoon.  And then there's church tonight.

Like James Dickey says in the poem below, life is all about walking in the fields, being a part of the world.  A good part hopefully, even if that good part involves things like dealing with death or money problems or addictions or cranky teens.

Saint Marty has a purpose today.  His purpose is to try not to mess things up too badly

The Strength of Fields

by:  James Dickey

... a separation from the world,
a penetration to some source of power
and a life-enhancing return ...
              Van Gennep: Rites de Passage 

Moth-force a small town always has,   

          Given the night.

                                                What field-forms can be,

         Outlying the small civic light-decisions over

               A man walking near home?

                                                                         Men are not where he is   

      Exactly now, but they are around him    around him like the strength

Of fields.    The solar system floats on

    Above him in town-moths.

                                                         Tell me, train-sound,

    With all your long-lost grief,

                                                         what I can give.   

    Dear Lord of all the fields

                                                         what am I going to do?

                                        Street-lights, blue-force and frail

As the homes of men, tell me how to do it    how

    To withdraw    how to penetrate and find the source   

      Of the power you always had

                                                            light as a moth, and rising

       With the level and moonlit expansion

    Of the fields around, and the sleep of hoping men.

       You?    I?    What difference is there?    We can all be saved

       By a secret blooming. Now as I walk

The night    and you walk with me    we know simplicity   

   Is close to the source that sleeping men

       Search for in their home-deep beds.

       We know that the sun is away    we know that the sun can be conquered   

   By moths, in blue home-town air.

          The stars splinter, pointed and wild. The dead lie under

The pastures.    They look on and help.    Tell me, freight-train,

                            When there is no one else

   To hear. Tell me in a voice the sea

         Would have, if it had not a better one: as it lifts,

          Hundreds of miles away, its fumbling, deep-structured roar

               Like the profound, unstoppable craving

            Of nations for their wish.

                                                                    Hunger, time and the moon:

         The moon lying on the brain

                                                                    as on the excited sea    as on

          The strength of fields. Lord, let me shake   

         With purpose.    Wild hope can always spring   

         From tended strength.    Everything is in that.

            That and nothing but kindness.    More kindness, dear Lord

Of the renewing green.    That is where it all has to start:

         With the simplest things. More kindness will do nothing less

             Than save every sleeping one

             And night-walking one

         Of us.

                         My life belongs to the world. I will do what I can.