…love what it loves.” – Mary Oliver
I was reminded of this line from my favorite Mary Oliver poem “Wild Geese” while reading a New York Times article on Provincetown where she lives. In it, the journalist quotes Ms. Oliver’s words from a 1991 essay,
“When will you have a little pity for/ every soft thing/ that walks through the world,/ yourself included?”
Every soft thing that walks through the world. Isn’t that gorgeous? I exhale just reading it. It reminds me of August and the soft feeling of a fading summer. By contrast, July, to me, is the energy of beach traffic and fireworks. It’s yang to August’s yin.
I liked July in 1976 when I rode my fabulously decorated bike in Village Green’s Bicentennial parade. And I once had a really fun date on July 16th in San Francisco. That’s pretty much the extent of my love affair with the seventh month.
July is stressed-out friends frantically readying for vacation and bemoaning piled-up work upon return. August is relaxing with my sisters and a pitcher of freshly made pina coladas as the sun goes down on the Chesapeake Bay.
The wise ones say we should live in the present and that patience is a virtue. Unfortunately, neither is my strong suit. (Only 7 days to go!)
So I’ve decided to just let the “soft animal of [my] body love what it loves”. I’m creating August in me right here on July 24th. Exhaling, loving, and appreciating the dog days as if they were the last days of summer.
I facilitate the Women’s Circle for anyone who needs a little August in your body and soul… anyone who yearns for an extra dose of yin to your yang life.
What is your August? What does “the soft animal of your body love”?
Tags: a woman's body, feminine, living in the present, yin
