Monday Musings (too late for Morning) from Mary (Oliver)

January 25, 2021

Columbus, Ohio

What a week this has been. It seems as though months have passed since last Monday. We have a new President (thanks be to God), and I have returned to Columbus and this new work that I love even as I deeply miss so many beloveds.

I have wondered, lately, would I do this again? Will I have the chance, because who knows what the next life will be like? Mary Oliver, a favorite poet of so many, also considered this when she wrote

Next Time

Next time what I'd do is look at the earth before saying anything. I'd stop just before going into a house and be an emperor for a minute and listen better to the wind or to the air being still.

When anyone talked to me, whether blame or praise or just passing time, I'd watch the face, how the mouth has to work, and see any strain, any sign of what lifted the voice.

And for all, I'd know more -- the earth bracing itself and soaring, the air finding every leaf and feather over forest and water, and for every person the body glowing inside the clothes like a light.

These are my favorite cookies from my favorite bakery!

If I could do it all again, I'd still eat them with delight!