Wednesday, October 26, 2011

The Daffodils


The Daffodils - 1802 Version

“I WANDERED lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.”


It's a subtle changing, this movement from the joy in doing towards the joy in knowing . Letting go of the sadness and grief for the revised parts of me. The parts of me that cling to the past. The parts of me that remain uneasy with today.

The parts of me that secretly wish to run once again, wild and free from pain.  

This changing, this joy in knowing , only happens in this moment. Letting go opens my heart to find the gift of what is -

beautiful.

Joy in the knowing of all that I have had. Those moments when I too, gazed and gazed, but gave little thought to the "wealth the show to me had brought."

Joy unending.

"They flash upon my inward eye, which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils."

This is Peace. 




2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The beauty around us is so often ignored until one day something larger than us, life, puts it all into perspective. I for one have a love hate relationship with my illness. I hate it beacause I can't do what I once could with my eyes closed, barefoot and hand tied behind my back. I love it because flowers are not just colors we pass by, the are life, every changing, ever growing with the slightest of care.

I LOVE YOUR PHOTO.
Hugs
Tammy

Theresa said...

Love/hate for sure. Just this morning as I looked at myself in the mirror - body now changed from runner to survivor, I wondered quietly to myself, "Will acceptance truly ever find complete residence within me?" It's hard, making a new beautiful. Funny you should mention the picture. My husband (a photographer) has a habit of getting up early and taking my picture as I sleep. He's done it for as long as I have known him. I had struggled to get out of bed and basically fell back into it, kind of cockeyed on the mattress. His ability to find beauty in me has been the greatest gift. I believe it is he who will eventually convince me.
Thank you so much for your comment...so good to be connected.
Peace to you, Tammy.