Life Is A Very Narrow Bridge

Look for the blessings, seek them out each and every day, these are the words I say to myself, a personal mantra. This is how I find earth to meet my feet and air to breathe when I feel as though I’m falling, spinning, gasping, lost to myself like a tumbling leaf, shaken loose from it's secure tree home. I look for blessings. Simple is best, the sweet sound of my dog sighing in her sleep, the soothing scent of oolong tea, the weight and warmth of the mug fitting perfectly between my palms, the taste of the first sip early in the morning, a row of leaves hung like prayer flags carrying the secrets of a heart’s longings upon the gentle breeze, or a single bright autumn jewel resting on a stiff, tired weed. 

“Kol ha’olam kulo gesher tzar me’od, veha’ikar lo lifached k’lal. The whole world is a very narrow bridge, and the main thing is to have no fear at all.” ~Rebbe Nachman of Breslav

Like all of us, Rebbe Nachman deeply understood the fragility of life, the depth of human suffering. He also knew and taught the value of a joyful heart open to gratitude for the blessings interlaced between life’s painful challenges. I don’t know if it is possible to go through life with no fear at all, it isn’t for me, not so far, but I'm no tzadik. Still I do believe we can hold both fear and blessing in the same warm cup carefully balanced between curved palms, delicate, fragrant, so full of emotion it could spill over in any moment. For this awareness I am grateful each and every day.

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If you are wondering where I've been, we were without power from Sunday through Thursday evening from October's intense storm that pounded the northeast, dumping a foot of wet snow on our town, taking down leaf laden trees and boughs and many utility lines with them. Our area was hit particularly hard. We are grateful that the branch of the oak outside our bedroom did not break off any higher than it did or it would have landed on the roof above our bed. (My 14 year old daughter explained this to me in the morning using the pythagorean theorem!) We heard the sickening crack and saw only white for several minutes as it made its descent then slammed the ground, stirring up snow.