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Wild Geese

By Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
 
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clear blue air,
are heading home again.
 
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting--
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

Picture
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  • classes & private sessions
    • Parent-Child Self-Compassion Class
    • Parent-Teen Self-Compassion (MSC-T)
    • Compassionate Parenting
    • Mindful Self-Compassion
    • The Path to Resilience
    • Mindful Yoga
    • Parent-Teen Self-Compassion Workshop
    • Private sessions
  • Train to teach
    • Self-Compassion for Children and Caregivers Instructor Training
    • Self-Compassion in the Classroom
  • Testimonials
  • About us
    • Jamie Lynn's story and Training
    • Contact us
    • Donate
  • Blog
  • Meditations, Videos and more
    • Videos and Lessons
    • Guided Meditations
    • Quotes and Poems
    • Journaling Challenge