Having “retired” from my corporate career 10 years ago, I have had the opportunity to “rewire” my life.  As I thought about how I wanted to focus my priorities these days, I examined what gave me the most joy and fulfillment in life up to now.  I found that it was the Keys that brought life to my being a human being, as epitomized in this Hafiz poem:

The small man
Builds cages for everyone
He
Knows.
While the sage,
Who has to duck his head
When the moon is low,
Keeps dropping keys all night long
For the
Beautiful
Rowdy
Prisoners.

You see, I am one of those beautiful rowdy prisoners,  and those Keys dropped for me were/are teachers, practices, communities, and perseverance.  Teachers are those who share their wisdom. Practices are the invaluable routines that help me become present, curious, compassionate, and altruistic .Communities are those fellowships that uncover what makes me distinctive and additive, .and perseverance is the internal clock that measures progress via insights and revelations gained rather than by the second hand of a watch.  

And these Keys, like all blessings, are best when shared.  So, my focus now, each and every day, is to look for those precious Keys that someone has dropped for me, as well as to drop some for those I encounter.  What a wonderful life!

 

-Bill Weber