The Fire

I went to the quiet places today. I didn't just pay it lip service, as I have for some time. No, today was different. I let go again. I knew I'd been off track, needed to reset. "Why have you been gone so long", she asked. Always, she asks me that which she knows the answer to, so that I can work my way there, also. I admitted simply, "I was enjoying the ride. I've never just gone with what I felt inside. I've always censored and stopped myself. " She smiles. "But you have come now. Is the ride over?" I tell her that I needed to think. "And what does your soul tell you?" I pause, searching for the words to express what I feel. Finally, I say "The fire inside of me is so much stronger than I ever expected. It is amazing, but I am making a mess of things." We are sitting across from one another, and I'm thinking to myself that she is so centered, beautiful and amazing, that I can't possibly ever get there. Of course, she knows where my thoughts are. She makes eye contact with me. "Falling this way, it was the only way you could understand. You have learned the strength of that which is inside of you. This bright light, this passion, it is the essence of who you are. Tempered by grace, gratitude, and self-knowledge, it will fuel your dreams. Now you understand it's power. Use it wisely." I stayed for some time, allowing the truth to settle in, and sending light to those who had been burned by my carelessness. Today, I walk forward, in joy, the task - to include this new truth in my walk.