29 Comments
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Vlad Tverdohleb's avatar

This is the kind of poem that doesn't ask you to understand it. It just asks you to sit in it for a moment. And that's exactly what I needed today.

The line about the dog stopping waiting and just lying down beside you. That's the whole thing right there. We spend so much time chasing what's next that we miss the presence that's already here, waiting for us to notice it.

The kettle, the coffee, the grass being cut, the children making up rules as they go. None of it is remarkable. And that's what makes it remarkable. The ordinary is where the real life is happening. The extraordinary is just a distraction.

Thank you for this. It landed.

Mark Crutchfield's avatar

Thanks, Vlad, and that’s just it. Sometimes we think we need a lot, but just being present in the now can often be just enough.

Vlad Tverdohleb's avatar

Exactly. The presence is the thing. Not the achievement, not the understanding, not the next step. Just being here, in this moment, with whatever is already here.

We spend so much time chasing what's next that we miss what's already present. And what's already present is often enough. Not in a settling way. In a way that's actually more real than anything we're reaching for.

Mark Crutchfield's avatar

Yes, yes yes!

Words about things and stuff's avatar

Thank you for the gentle reminder to just ...

slow...

down...

and relax.

(I realized I was typing really fast when I started responding and doing that seemed to miss the whole point so I'm taking my time now)

Mark Crutchfield's avatar

Haha. Yes! It's really hard, even when we're thinking of it 😊

Jessie Laverton's avatar

Just reading this opening after having thought about everything I have to do tomorrow. Thinking I might rethink…

Mark Crutchfield's avatar

Such a lovely idea if it helped to slow a little, even for today.

Thank you for sharing, Jessie 😊

mnemonixart's avatar

Let us not borrow the sorrow of tomorrow.

- 125 year old poet😁

Carawen's avatar

I found this poem very calming and it invited me right in .... A call to presence. Perhaps tomorrow can wait 😊

Mark Crutchfield's avatar

Thank you Carawen, and I think it can 😊

Suzanne B. Jones's avatar

"Borrowing tomorrow" stopped me. We had a couple of sayings like this in my family growing up: don't borrow from tomorrow what you can pay for today..and don't pay twice for worry. I'd forgotten how deeply they'd shaped me. Thank you for inviting old wisdom to find its way back into the room.

Mark Crutchfield's avatar

Thank you, Suzanne. I remember those phrases too, and they do fit so well in the piece. Maybe subconsciously they helped shape me and the poem. Really pleased the piece resonated for you.

Milady Desires's avatar

Such a beautiful and peaceful poem.

Mark Crutchfield's avatar

Thank you so much Milady! 🥰

AnabellDreamsAllDay's avatar

This is it - live in the present moment. Always.

Mark Crutchfield's avatar

Thank you, Anabell🤗

BJ Martin's avatar

I enjoyed this poem. Yep, tomorrow can wait.

Mark Crutchfield's avatar

Thank you, BJ!

Georgina de Glanville's avatar

Yes, I always say that we should enjoy today just as it is and as you say “tomorrow can wait”🌹

Mark Crutchfield's avatar

Thank you Georgina! and yep - it can really wait!

Be Budding's avatar

So so so very beautiful 🙏🏻

Mark Crutchfield's avatar

Thank you, Be 🤍

Dorie Snow/雪多丽's avatar

Yes precisely so! Slow down, enjoy the moments.

Mark Crutchfield's avatar

Yes! Thank you, Dorie 🤍

James (HVR)'s avatar

Tomorrow can wait until... tomorrow?

Mark Crutchfield's avatar

Tomorrow never comes!

Antonio Castellaneta's avatar

There’s something deeply calming about the way this poem invites the reader back to the present. The ordinary moments become enough, and that’s a beautiful reminder. Thank you for sharing it.