Wabi Sabi Monday

Wabi Sabi Monday
for Eric

Long past holding hands,
we walk together, the dog
a convenient excuse.
My son's friends break through
the ice along the soccer field.
He traces the hard edge
of morning light.

I am still reading through "Wabi Sabi for Writers."  Some of it speaks to me, some of it does not, but that is as it should be.  As I've gotten older, and more confident in my own beliefs (or just more of a stubborn cuss), I've been more choosy, more thoughtful in taking in advice.

The main point I take away from this book is to appreciate the ephemeral beauty that exists around me.  To do that, I have to get out of my own way.

This poem emerged from a walk to school with my youngest son. He is nearly 14 and clearly doesn't need me to walk with him for any other reason but that he and I enjoy one another's company in the morning.  Having to walk the dog makes it easier for him to engage with me, in this tightrope between child and man that he is negotiating.  

I feel blessed to have teenage boys who have not disengaged from family.  It is a tightrope for me, as well, to balance the letting go with the appropriate engagement. 

And like true balance, it is not something to find once and have mastered forever.  It is a constant series of adjustments, over uneven terrain and altered conditions.  Wabi Sabi life:  Full of beauty, change, and always fleeting.