“You should not have to take things away from a horse or break him in fragments in order to train him; rather you should add to the horse. The goal should be making, not breaking”   Cherry Hill

Start Close In by David Whyte

Start close in, / don’t take the second step / or the third,

Start with the first thing /close in, / the step /you don’t want to take.

Start with / the ground you know, / the pale ground / beneath your feet, / your own / way to begin / the conversation.

Start with your own / question, / give up on other / people’s questions, / don’t let them / smother something simple.

To hear / another’s voice, / follow / your own voice, / wait until that voice / becomes an intimate / private ear / that can / really listen / to another.

Start right now / take a small step / you can call your own / don’t follow /
someone else’s / heroics, be humble / and focused, / start close in, /don’t mistake / that other / for your own.

Start close in, / don’t take / the second step / or the third, / start with the first / thing
close in, / the step / you don’t want to take.

For the traveler by John O’Donohue

A journey can become a sacred thing:
Make sure, before you go, / To take the time
To bless your going forth, / To free your heart of ballast
So that the compass of your soul / Might direct you toward
The territories of spirit / Where you will discover
More of your hidden life, / And the urgencies / That deserve to claim you.