Potholders

Friday, May 18, 2018

Enough/Not Enough

The word I chose for this year is Enough. I mull over enough on most days and have come to discover that there are many different meanings of the word, an almost infinite number of situations in which I could exclaim, "Enough!", and an equal number of situations in which it would be appropriate to quietly whisper, "enough". This week Kym was very kind to share a poem with me entitled Enough by David Whyte. 


Enough
Enough. These few words are enough.
If not these words, this breath.
If not this breath, this sitting here.
This opening to the life
we have refused
again and again
until now.
Until now.
~David Whyte, Where Many Rivers Meet
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Interestingly enough, while I was searching for more about David Whyte, I came across this from the same volume:
It is Not Enough
It is not enough to know.
It is not enough to follow
the inward road conversing in secret.

It is not enough to see straight ahead,
to gaze at the unborn
thinking the silence belongs to you.

It is not enough to hear
even the tiniest edge of rain.

You must go to the place
where everything waits,
there, when you finally rest,
even one word will do,
one word or the palm of your hand
turning outward
in the gesture of gift.

And now we are truly afraid
to find the great silence
asking so little.

One word, one word only.

~David Whyte, Where Many Rivers Meet

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Enough vs. not enough. Here's hoping you find the middle ground that is just right for you. 

11 comments:

  1. I like Enough better than NOT enough! Great concepts to consider all 'round.

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  2. Thank you for sharing these poems (and to Kym!) I need to spend more time with both, but at first and second readings, it seems like Enough is an easier concept to embrace ... and that's not what I was expecting.

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  3. Thanks for posting these, Bonny. I will have to think about them today while I go about cleaning out closets and drawers that contain more than enough! Happy Friday!

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  4. Wow! I have never thought of enough in those terms... thank you for making me stop, ponder, and meditate on the nuances of enough.

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  5. Like others, I want to re-read these and think about them some more. Meanwhile, I have definitely had ENOUGH Rain!!!! Apparently Mother Nature doesn't agree and thinks we have Not had Enough!

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  6. Mary is right. Enough is the easier of the concepts, but there is so much to ponder in both poems.

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  7. Both poems give me a lot to ponder, but I agree with others, enough is easier. Reading these made me recall my cousins' Italian grandmother who used to comfort us when we were upset with a quick hug and a whispered "Basta" (enough), it gave me a sense of release from whatever was upsetting me. Have a great weekend!

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  8. Yes, enough was pretty easy to ready. Not enough...I need to take that one on a little longer myself! Here's to enough this weekend to keep you balanced and calm! :-)

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  9. I am catching up on blog reading since being out of town. I enjoy coming back to your blog that shows off your green thumb. These poems are so lovely.

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  10. I HAVE enough AND I have HAD enough this week. I have all I NEED, but I have had ENOUGH of house hunting this week.

    I guess that puts things in perspective.

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  11. I'll never have enough time to do what I want to do in a given day (which is a good thing.). I see not enough as a positive in wanting to do more than is physically possible :)

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