Wean Yourself

I recently came across this poem titled “Wean Yourself” by Rumi, (translated by Coleman Barks). It’s a poem about leaving your comfort zone and taking chances.

Little by little, wean yourself.
This is the gist of what I have to say.

From an embryo, whose nourishment comes in the blood,
move to an infant drinking milk,
to a child on solid food,
to a searcher after wisdom,
to a hunter of more invisible game.

Think how it is to have a conversation with an embryo.
You might say, “The world outside is vast and intricate.
There are wheat fields and mountain passes,
and orchards in bloom.

At night there are millions of galaxies, and in sunlight
the beauty of friends dancing at a wedding.”

You ask the embryo why he, or she, stays cooped up
in the dark with eyes closed.

Listen to the answer.

There is no “other world.”
I only know what I’ve experienced.
You must be hallucinating.

It's a good reminder that even at 50, I need to be challenged to look at things from a different perspective. It is so easy for me to get set in my ways and to get comfortable with my life and philosophy and politics. I need to wean myself from the lessor things and to continue to grow in my understanding of the world around me.

It's a good word for all of us!