July 2, 2001
Beyond The Small Talk
The Invitation (excerpts)
By
Oriah Mountain Dreamer
It doesn't interest me in what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting
your heart's longing.
It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling
me is true.
I want to know if you can disappoint another to be
true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your
own soul; if you
can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.
It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you
have studied.
I want to know
what sustains you, from the inside, when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be
alone with yourself
and if you truly
like the company you keep in the empty moments.
Discussions
of spirituality seem to follow me now wherever I go. I am not complaining, Lord knows, because I asked to be where
I am. At this moment in time I can
honestly say that I am living the life I was meant to live.
This
past weekend our family traveled to Wyoming for my wife’s high school reunion.
Most of her family still lives there and it gave us an opportunity to
visit with them also. The reunion
proved to be a wonderful experience as most of her classmates have stopped
trying to impress each other and would rather spend time talking about what they
have found to be important beyond creature comforts.
As
my brother-in-law and I wandered through the local bookstore and, as usual, I
ended up in the area for religion, philosophy, and inspiration, I picked up a
familiar book and read the opening lines. The
Invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer has striking similarities between its
message and my own conversations at the reunion and with other friends and
family. My visits with just about
everyone I come in contact with have changed over the past several months.
Some people know of my Awaken The Soul project while others
haven’t a clue about this aspect of my life, yet our communication is on a
different level than before.
One
of my wife’s former classmates engaged me in conversation that quickly turned
to family. He shared things about
his life that are typically reserved for the closest of friends.
He spoke of the suicide of his father when he was only seven and his two
sons desire to change their names from his stepfather’s name back to his
father’s. There was a quiver in
his voice as he talked about scattering his grandmother’s ashes on the family
ranch. Finally he talked about one
of his sons showing his emotions more than most men and looked to me for
reassurance. This was quite a first
encounter with this 6’3” cowboy.
This is happening wherever I go and with whomever I meet.
Like the opening words from the poem, without asking, people are sharing
what’s in their hearts, not what they do.
It makes me wonder if I am somehow approaching people differently.
Whatever the origin, I am receiving from people a deeper look into their
soul and they seem willing to accommodate.
I believe we can all experience this if we are willing to risk showing
our true selves to others and then hear their soul and not just their words.
A
great friend from my college days, Greg Petropoulos, e-mailed a copy of The
Invitation thus keeping its tradition alive. Oriah wrote this several years ago, posted it on the Internet
and it has made its way all over the world.
She wrote a book by the same title that expands on this thought provoking
poem. I have posted the entire poem
so you can read it in its entirety. (Click here to go to The Invitation;
go to Suggested Reading to see the book)
With respect, acceptance, and love,
Richard
©
Richard D. Olson and Awaken The Soul, 2001
The
Invitation Copyright Oriah Mountain Dreamer 1999; Published by Harper San Francisco