Aspiration – a reflection, a remembering, a plea

as·pi·ra·tion

     [as-puh-rey-shuhn]

noun

1. strong desire, longing, or aim; ambition.

2. a goal or objective desired.

3. act of aspirating; breath.


The aspiration to lead a good life.

To do an honest day’s work that does not reap a profit from the imagined needs of others, or from their misery. That does not twist my brain into strange, unnatural shapes.

My breath, my eyes, my hands and feet, my beating heart. The devotion of my lover, and mine to him.

A place to live where I can’t be evicted , that does not claim me as its slave. Big enough to be creative and host my friends. Too small to amass things I don't need.

Space from where to see the sky, animals, a spider’s web, dew drops, something that grows, to touch the earth. Gratitude.

Friends and family that stand together like the different species in a forest, nurturing life and weathering the seasons and the storms that will surely come. Goodwill and patience.

A good fire to sit around. Stories, songs and wine. Food to sustain me. The ability to make a delicious feast from some potatoes and nettles.  To bake a decent loaf of bread.

Books and poetry. And time. Time and space to feel into the rhythm of life with body and spirit. A good, wild dance. A crazy laughter, a proper cry. Celebrations.

Time to think and people to mingle ideas with.

To create with words and things that others throw away, not for recognition, but for my heart’s content. To make something from nothing and enjoy it. To see something in everything there is.

The freedom to wander. Curiosity. My wits about me. To take things as they come.

All I want is a good life, and the wisdom to notice when it happens. The courage not to believe that I need anything else.

Aspiration. The act of aspirating. Breath.

Copyright 2010 Vincent Oyenga 

(Thanks to Kevin and a Beltane fire for the inspiration to think about aspirations.)