I want to know
if you are prepared to live in a world
with its harsh need
to change you. If you can look back
with firm eyes
saying this is where I stand.
— David Whyte, 'Self-Portrait' [from 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩]
I want to know if you are prepared to live in a world with its harsh need to change you. If you can look back with firm eyes saying this is where I stand. — David Whyte, 'Self-Portrait' [from 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩]
“Sometimes I just don’t understand myself,” I admitted honestly. “Maybe I’ve lost sight of me. I don’t have a sense that I’m living this life as myself, as the real me. Sometimes I think I’m merely a shadow. When I feel that way, I get this restless feeling, like I’m simply tracing an outline of myself, cleverly pretending to be me.”
“The real self
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The measure of our courage is the measure of our willingness to embrace disappointment, to turn towards it rather than away, the understanding that every real conversation of life involves having our hearts broken somewhere along the way and that there is no sincere path we can follow where we will not be fully and immeasurably let down and brought
... See moreDavid Whyte • Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words
how much can you change and get away with it, before you turn into someone else, before it’s some kind of murder. [war of the foxes, richard siken]
The things I see in the mirror will continue to change. The question I have to answer is, “How will I respond to what I see?”