Inspirational Short Story, Female Fantasy Art, Relaxing Music

My Opening Farewell

Written by Jackson Browne

A lady stands before an open window

Staring so far away

She can almost feel the southern wind blow

Almost touching her restless day

She turns from her window to me

Sad smile her apology

Sad eyes reaching to the door

Daylight loses to another evening

And still she spares me the word goodbye

And sits alone beside me fighting her feelings

Struggles to speak but in the end can only cry

Suddenly its so hard to find

The sound of the words to speak her troubled mind

So I'm offering these to her as if to be kind:

There's a train everyday leaving either way

There's a world, you know

There's a way to go

And you'll soon be gone -- that's just as well

This is my opening farewell

A child's drawings left there on the table

And a woman's silk lying on the floor

And I would keep them here if I were able

Lock her safe behind this open door

But suddenly it's so clear to me

That I'd asked her to see what she may never see

And now my kind words find their way back to me

There's a train everyday leaving either way

There's a world, you know

You got a way's to go

And I'll soon believe -- it's just as well

This is my opening farewell

The Invitation

( ... The world will break your heart and heal it,

over and over, if you let it,

and letting it do both is the only way to live fully... )

-- 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 dream, 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 you own sorrow, 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 it or fade it or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, 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, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you're telling is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul; if you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see beauty, even when it's not pretty, every day, and if you can source your own life from it's presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, "Yes"!

It doesn't matter to me where you live or 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 to feed the children.

It doesn't interest me who you know 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 where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you, from the inside, when all else falls 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.

Inspirational Short Story, Female Fantasy Art, Relaxing Music

When men are rightfully occupied,

then their amusement grows

out of their work as the color petals

out of a fruitful garden.

-- John Ruskin

Inspirational Short Story, Female Fantasy Art, Relaxing Music

What do we need most in order to be happy?

Certainly we all need to be loved. Yet we need even more than that.

The spirit also wishes to be needed.

When we are needed, no matter what age we are, we serve a purpose for others.

When we are needed, we will be loved, as well as respected, imitated, and rewarded with gratitude.

Our needs are not great empty pits to be filled any way we can. They are the couplings by which we connect to those we love.

Our needs also tell us what others want, and how to enrich their lives -- which also enriches ours.

How do we become needed? We have only to look at our own needs and give what we need to others -- love, respect, kindness, generosity.

When we realize we are needed, we realize we also need others.

_______________

10/25/2024

_________________

My Opening Farewell

_________

A lady stands before an open window
Looking so far away
She can almost feel the southern winds blow
Gently touching his restless day

He turns from his window to me
Sad smile his apology
Sad eyes reaching to the door

Daylight loses to another evening
Still he spares me words goodbye
Sits alone beside me fighting his feelings
Struggles to speak but in the end can only cry

Suddenly it's so hard to find
The sound of the words to speak his troubled mind
So I'm offering ease to him as if to be kind

There's a train every day
Leading either way
There's a world you know
There's a way to go
I soon believe it's just as well
This is my opening farewell

A child's drawings left there on the table
And a woman's silk is lying on the floor
I would keep them here if I were able
To lock you safe behind it's open door

Suddenly it's so clear to me
That I'd ask you to see what you may never see
Now my kind words find their way back to me

There's a train every day
Leading either way
There's world you know
Got a way to go
I soon believe it's just as well
This is my opening farewell

This is my opening farewell.

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