"There's a thread that you follow..."
After trying to work through some of my emotions in my blog posts and turning my attention back to my poetry syllabus when I stumbled upon this poem called the Way it Is by William Stafford:
“There’s a thread that you follow. It goes among
things that change. But it doesn’t change.
People wonder about what you are pursing.
You have to explain about the thread.
But it’s hard for others to see.
While you hold it you can’t get lost.
Tragedies happen; people get hurt
Or die: and you suffer and get old.
Nothing you can do can stop time’s unfolding.
You don’t ever let go of the thread.
I realized this poem hit on the sentiments I was trying to get to in my last two blog posts. While in part my last post had to do with finding a way to focus on my goal amidst the pull of other responsibilities it also confirmed something about my personality. I sometimes feel like the tortoise slowly, steadily running the race. I might be slow, but I’ve been steadfast. I haven’t gotten to where I wanted to be, but I haven’t stopped moving forward and while it may not always look to the outside world like I’m getting there I am. It also reminded me that the thread that carries us through can be hard for others to see and that life does happen even while we cling to what matters to us most. I have been carving a creative meaningful life for myself and as challenging as it is, as invisible as I might sometimes feel, I never let go of my thread.