Jill of A Thousand Shades of Gray blog has a weekly feature she calls “Three Truths and One Wish.” You can read about how she came up with the idea here, and a list of her posts organized here.
Each week when she posts I use it as a reminder to do my own internal version, naming three truths and a wish for myself. I’ve been tempted to blog about these things, but I’ve always held back out of deference to Jill, because it is after all her idea. I think in this digital age it can be very easy to get sloppy about co-opting ideas, or grabbing things without crediting their source, and I try not only to be careful about not doing that, but also about encouraging others to be mindful as well. I don’t think we can ever go wrong by erring on the side of respect and loving-kindness.
Today I woke up, having had a bit of an unplanned hiatus from blogging, knowing I was ready to post and thinking about what in fact I might write, and my mind kept turning again to the three truths and a wish, and also the fact that here we are well into August. Somehow those felt connected, and it occurred to me when I sat down with my first cup of coffee how.
August may be our eighth calendar month, so named after Augustus Caesar, but august also means “respected, inspiring reverence or admiration.”
So starting out with a shout out of respect and admiration for Jill’s practice, here are three facts and a fancy of my own.
Fact: Life is complicated and paradoxical. There is an underlying great strength and connectedness, and yet life is also very fragile. It’s a mistake not to remember this. Because remembering this allows us to really embrace the magic of what is, and reminds us of what’s really important. How open we can keep our hearts and how much love we can allow in and radiate back out. All of us have, or certainly will, lose fellow beings we love, and if we’re lucky our hearts will crack open and we will be gifted with even greater understanding of our unity and connection even as we are swimming in grief. And remembering that life is indeed fragile is a daily reminder to live the life you want and to be abundant in our distribution of love. As I navigate some tender heart times, I am most grateful to have found this beautiful little video that is such a magnificent testimony to what it means to dance with love while knowing death is an inevitable part of the cycle as well. This video of Michael Yates is indeed an example of august behavior and I do hope you take the time to watch.
Fact: My garden is a metaphor for my life. And in this moment my garden has returned to its wild roots – overgrown and untamed. I tend to let it go wild towards the end of summer, but this year it happened much earlier. It’s a combination of a few things, and another example of how life is complicated and paradoxical. My heart this year hasn’t been into giving the time and energy a garden requires, and it’s been easy to let nature in its wild abundance take over. But part of me is sad about not having a more traditionally beautiful-to-me garden and see this untamed mess as a failure on my part. I’ve alternated between tears and relief, never quite knowing what my response will be each day. I’m the one out of cycle with the rhythm of things.
Fact: Beauty surrounds us in an ever-changing kaleidoscope of magic. More proof that life is complicated and paradoxical, and oh so worth keeping our eyes open and our perspectives as well. There’s beauty in my overgrown garden; there’s beauty in how people come together in sadness and find their way; there’s beauty in being clear about what’s preferred for you when you experience something not-preferred. There’s beauty in knowing that sometimes we need to look at things from different sides to see its wholeness. And I happen to think this short video of an Anna’s hummingbird is a perfect reminder.
Fancy: I want to navigate in this beautiful world of ours as pure undiluted me, embodying my divine self with such joy and ease and grace I never slip. But should I in fact slip, I want to laugh and compassionately let it go, and simply return to being me full out. And I wish that for you as well.
Now it’s your turn. Do you have a fancy to share? A fact to state? A beauty to behold? Do tell – you know I love to hear.
I’m glad to see your hiatus has ended but sorry you have gone through some difficult times.
Thanks Candace – I appreciate your kind thoughts.
Deborah, what a thought provoking post! I totally agree with you about giving credit where credit is due. Fact: clarity is important to me and I am uncomfortable not knowing where I am going. Fact: I am learning to accept that being in the land of the unknown is ok. Fact: there are things to learn in this place of uncertainty and not having all the answers is ok. Trust is what the path I am walking down this week, trust and faith. I like the fact that you changed Jill’s word wish to fancy and made it your own:) Thanks for sharing this with us!
Thanks for playing along and sharing your facts Nancy. Trust and faith are beautiful ways to navigate the path of uncertainty. May you find your way to clarity with perfect ease and grace!
Deborah Undiluted…. just what we all wish for. Thank you for gifting us with that!
Great Love, Corky
Love back at you Beautiful Undiluted Corky!
So sorry you’ve been going through a tough time Deborah – thank you as always for your openness in these posts.
Sending you lots of love
Fil
Thanks Fil for the kind words and the love – I accept both with gratitude and send the same back.
Love your website first of all – fact! 🙂
fact: my garden too is overrun, wild with abandonment, yet lush with praying mantises, birds and bees. I am ok with that – and while like you it resembles one’s own inner life… I am coming out of the shadows, slowly and allowing (with takes some time to do for me) for areas of my life to be not so perfect….
Fact: many would argue they would wish to have a yard, any yard, despite it’s being overgrown and full of weeds then to only have the dessert under their feet.
Fact: things like that remind me how ever grateful I am regardless of what state my mind is in…
Fancy: I have been having inner-conversations with myself that next year, I will pay more attention, in fact starting now, to work on just a small area of the garden at a time. It takes but one step to start the journey of a thousand steps….
Oh how wonderful you’ve played along Leah – and I love your attitude. Here’s to endless joy on all our journeys, each beginning with that first step.
Thank you for both videos, Deborah. I really have no words for the first other than to comment on the extraordinary relationship he has with his grandmother. Both of them are obviously special people and what lovely work he does.
And the hummingbird one! Wow. Hard to believe that it’s the same bird. The colours! Truly spectacular.
I’m sorry to read that you’ve been going through a bit of a rough patch. Take great care of yourself. You’re special too.
So much beauty all around us isn’t there Kelly?! And thanks for the kind words – they’re greatly appreciated.
Fact….knowing that my many blessings far out weigh the disappointments or troubled times in my life. You reminded me of that today….thank you!
How perfect Debbie!
Love the thought that your garden is a metaphor for life! And after a summer of fun aren’t we all a bit wild and overgrown! Enjoy of what is left of the summer.
LOL – yes, here’s to being joyfully wild and overgrown Sue! Wishing you a fabulous rest of the summer as well.
Complex. Wild. Beautiful. Divine. That’s how I sum up your facts and your fancy from this post — and it often how I think of you, with a great big wallop of whimsy thrown in.
Oh Harmony – I’m soaking in your delicious and kind words. Thank you!
Deborah, A lovely post filled with your presence as always, thank you! Facts for me: I attended a June one-month art intensive class, SO wonderful, no time to process yet. I supported a family member with a major July surgery and recovery. In August, I celebrated with friends and family the marriage of my daughter and her husband in our beautiful wild backyard! Fancy: I fancy the integration of these big, beautiful experiences . . . and I fancy returning to some semblance of “normalcy” in terms of my work life.
Oh what a rich and filled summer you’ve had Janet! And I can certainly see how some “normalcy” would feel very welcome now. Enjoy that as well.
Fact: I ALWAYS look forward to your posts and gobble them up entirely. Each time I thoroughly enjoy your video links (this Michael Yates one touched me deeply, very powerful video and the hummingbird one was so gorgeous). Your writing is always what I need at that time. Thank you!
Fact: Your contribution and attention to my writing has meant so much to me. I am sincerely grateful beyond words to express how much you being in my ‘blogging world’ means to me. Much appreciation to you!
Fact: My heart is with you during your time of sadness and quiet reflection. Sending you much love.
Fancy: Ever since I signed up for your monthly newsletter months ago, it has been my dream to someday hire you to do readings and other services, just waiting for the Universe to assist me here with making that dream come to fruition.
Oh Elda – what a collection of lovely things to say. I’m drinking them in with my heart. Thank you!
And let me say what a delight it is to be part of your blogging world. Your thoughtful posts always give us so much to think about.