Why is it so hard to change direction when we realize we are heading the wrong way? Why is it so hard to ask for directions when we are lost? Why does turning around and turning back feel like admitting defeat?
And what is so horrible about admitting defeat?
The gift of simplicity is also the gift of clarity. If we are headed in the wrong direction, the easiest way to get moving in the right direction is to turn around. But it’s only children and wise elders that seem to be able to do this without reservation. And it’s only children and wise elders that delight in their change of direction, their turning around.
Lord, give me the strength to turn, turn, so I can come round right. And give me wisdom to find delight in it. Amen.
‘Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free,
’tis the gift to come down where we ought to be
and when we find ourselves in the place just right,
’twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gain’d, to bow and to bend we willnot be asham‘d.
to turn, turn, shall be our delight,
till by turning, turning we come round right.
[Simple Gifts, traditional Shaker hymn by Joseph Brackett]
Wiping down the tables. Sweeping up the paper scraps. Checking glue sticks and markers to see if they still work. Sweeping the pine needles off the back patios and keeping the chocolate mint plants in check. Wiping a nose, holding the hand of a toddler navigating a step. Such tasks weren’t the main focus of my work as the gardener of the learning library, but they were all necessary elements of the program. Practically anyone could do them, but it fell to Marcia, the children’s librarian, and me. Every summer for many years, Marcia and I returned to these most basic of tasks because they were ways to create a welcoming and engaging space for parents, grandparents, and children of all ages.
When we describe our program, none of these tasks are included. Goals, attendance, the garden-to-story-to-table pieces are highlighted in annual reports for the trustees and the greater library network; these crucial elements remain unrecognized. Perhaps because elements that anyone can do aren’t valued as highly as the elements that require special skills or education – writing curriculum, selecting meaningful stories, noting knowledge and maturity gained by participants.
Perhaps it’s because I’d rather be known for the complex things I accomplish more than the simple. If so, I’ve forgotten a couple of fundamental, spiritual truths:
‘Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free,
’tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
and when we find ourselves in the place just right, ’twill be in the valley of love and delight.Simple Gifts, Traditional Shaker Hymn by Joseph Brackett
If I hadn’t been walking; if I’d hadn’t been walking to church earlier than usual for a meeting; if I had set a different meeting time; if there had been a noisy car passing. But I was walking past Ye Olde Tavern on November 13th at 8:33am, with no cars in sight. For whatever reason, the universe conspired to have me where and when I was that Sunday. When I heard a dull knock on a tree, I looked up.
Pileated Woodpecker
[Birds of New Hampshire & Vermont, by Stan Tekiela; Cambridge, Minnesota: Adventure Publications, 2016, p. 69
In my whole life, I’ve spotted half a dozen of these startlingly large and beautiful woodpeckers – most of the sightings while hiking on wooded mountain trails. Yet, on a typical morning’s walk, in downtown Manchester Center, in the valley between the Green and Taconic mountain ranges, one appears right above my head.
After a few seconds, with a flash of feathers, this amazing moment passed – being in the right place at the right time is no guarantee of an extended visitation. But the moment was long enough for me to see where I was for what it was: a valley of love and delight.
I suspect that if I paid attention, every day would hold a right place/right time experience. Where and when else would such experiences be?
‘Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free,
’tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
’twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gain’d, to bow and to bend we will not be asham’d,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
’til by turning, turning we come round right.
Simple Gifts, traditional Shaker hymn by Joseph Brackett
I know I’m where I ought to be, on the road that brings me home, but I can’t see past the rise. Whatever is beyond it is hidden, including home. All I can do is keep walking up the road.
The road and the rise – it’s as good an image for the spiritual life as any.
[To hear Simple Gifts, scroll back to the previous two posts.]
