I just read Mary Oliver’s poem, Luke’s Junkyard Song. It’s “by” a puppy stuck in miserable conditions who focuses on the beauty of the one star he can see between the twists of metal above him.
I was taken by the last line,
…whatever you see and love — that’s where you are.
It partially reminds me of what I’ve been practicing lately,
The quality of our lives depends on how we focus our energy and our attention.
It’s not poetic, but it is a good reminder that we can make ourselves miserable and stuck when we focus on the things that we don’t like and have no control over. We’re not junkyard puppies, we’re not helpless. We have choices.
July 7, 2020
this is so beautiful.
that last line especially… whatever you see and love — that’s where you are.
So where are you? What’s your star?
Well, that’s an easy one for us – that one star is definitely FAMILY!!!
Woos – Lightning, Misty, and Timber
Yes, and yours is back together again, thanks to Mom’s persistence. Well done, Mom!
my focus has been hammered a bit – but it came to a peak last w/end when something I wasn’t expecting to enter into the “non-focus” arrived. The incident that caused it “isn’t important” but it showed me that there are some parts of my life I can’t change.
It has a very small part of my reluctance to go out and about…but very indirectly. I spent the rest of the w/end and the early part of this week…considering it all. And decided that each time it filtered into my soul, I would greet it and then let it go. I don’t think it will filter in, because I can see it’s a “part that can’t be changed…” (hard to explain)
So as I sit inside on a very wet, windy, some bouts of hard hail…then some brilliant but not warm sun, I see that it’s truly good I don’t have to go out (walk/bus) to work. Or even though I’ve missed the Q/Arcade group today, I can spend that time “knitting my shawl” here.
I did do a brief trip to retrieve my garbage bin…as I neared the top of the driveway I was astounded, it wasn’t where I left it. I looked to the R/nothing but to the left L/next door was a bin…was it mine and why was it about 12′ away from where it should be. Phew it was my bin…
every time the sun comes out (briefly) I think the rain has gone…not sure if I will manage my “around the block fast walk today”…
I think we have to rejig our “star/focus” quite often otherwise we don’t see the wider picture of how our life could/might be…
My star is more like our North Star here in the Northern hemisphere — it gives me a sense of direction but plenty of room for exploring.
I suppose mine is the usual,
You are so right! I HAD to go and find this poem; it is wonderful!! How did you come across it?
I bought her Dog Songs: Poems for my Kindle.
Add me to the list of people who are going to look up that poem. Love the term junkyard puppies.
The poor thing is being eaten/bit/pinched by worms. 🙁
In the days we’ve all endured, world wide…this is fitting. Now that I read Ginny’s comment, I must go find the poem online.
Let me know what your reaction is. Do you find it inspiring, depressing, or?
That is so very true. It’s easy to put yourself in a bad place if you only focus on the negative things around you.
Yes, it pays to be aware when we do this.
Thank you for the slap upside the head because that’s what this is it is so true. And I needed to think about that to focus on the good and not the bad
Thanks.
Oh…. even the concept of “junkyard puppies” brings tears to my eyes. “Twists of metal above him…”!!! Ughhh!!! I’m a rescuer and I guess I’ve seen too much. But I love Mary Oliver’s poetry, for sure. Love, Andrea xoxo
I loved the last line, but the rest of the poem bothered me too. Being eaten by bugs…it was way too accepting of helplessness.
You are sure right about focusing on the good. Sometimes things happen with me that bring back bad memories and it really takes conscious effort to let them slide on through and focus on the good. When all is said and done, we all have so much to be thankful for.
Sometimes the stress of trying to accomplish things get to me…and I will think of the couple that I worked for at the apple orchard and try to do like they did. There were very, very few times I saw either of them really stressed. They just seemed to work steady towards a goal, and did not get upset if they did not meet it in the time frame they had planned….they would just keep working.
Andy is that way too, that’s why I married him. One idea I came across when I was in high school was, “Play your part well and let go of the results.” It takes a lot of practice to learn to do that, but it made, and still makes, complete sense to me. There are no guarantees in life, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have goals, things we are working towards, but focus on the process, not the end result. Enjoy as much as possible the challenges that come up. Each one of us has to figure out what works for us, that’s what works for me.
I read something recently by a writer who said don’t concentrate on the past or the future. Just concentrate on the present. Sounds good to me.
To me, too!