It’s a poem I wrote a few years ago. At a time of clarifying more of the story behind the story. For humans. And in many forms of system, be it family, community, team, or organization.
It’s a story that remains very accurate to me. One that I hold sometimes with joy, seeing that others are so seeking this kind of relationship together. And sometimes with sadness, seeing that numbing, and rushing to create more numb, and isolation — these are often the default ways of being.
This week I am co-hosting a group of 40. In a shape that will likely look something like this. Where we will likely remember some of the story behind the story, of how connection always matters.
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In These Times, Friends Matter
In these times,
friends matter,
the people we turn to.
To listen.
To be heard by.
To be seen by.
To see.
To love.
To be loved.
In these times
staying awake matters.
Interrupting the many seductions
of numbness.
It takes discipline, doesn’t it.
In these times
dwelling in complexity matters.
Old fixes don’t work.
Imposing them more loudly doesn’t work.
Waiting.
Listening.
Looking for patterns does.
Welcoming surprise
and union with life itself.
In these times
presence is core competency.
It is the core competency.
We grow it together,
telling stories,
and asking questions.
What matters to you?
What is it like to be you?
What has your attention?
Sometimes even,
What makes sense for us to do now?
In these times
friends matter.
Turn, and turn, and turn again
to one another.