I find inspiration in words constantly and more often than not, I make sure to write them somewhere so I can peek at them later. A while ago, I realized that a lot of the quotations I've scribbled down were from Mary Oliver. Below are some of my favourites.
+ Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
+ Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.
+ I believe in kindness. Also in mischief. Also in singing, especially when singing is not necessarily prescribed.
+ Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable.
+ To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.
+ You can have the other words -- chance, luck, coincidence, serendipity. I'll take grace. I don't know what it is exactly, but I'll take it.
+ Still, what I want in my life is to be willing to be dazzled -- to cast aside the weight of facts and maybe even to float a little above this difficult world.
+ I want to think again of dangerous and noble things. I want to be light and frolicsome. I want to be improbable and beautiful and afraid of nothing as though I had wings.
Doesn't she look like she lived a full life?
(Photo via Cleveland Arts Prize)
I am loving this post, and enjoy reading your other posts as well. Keep it up :)
ReplyDeleteShe sure does. I love it :)
ReplyDeleteI love Mary Oliver. She's my favorite poet :) Your blog is so cheerful!
ReplyDeleteI am glad to find another Mary Oliver reader. She is one of a kind! I had the great privilege to hear her read some of her poems a few years ago. It's one thing to read it yourself, another to hear it spoken by the author.
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