This is the True Ride
by Jennifer Welwood
[Listen to Audio!]
 My friends, let’s grow up.
Let’s stop pretending we don’t know the deal here.
Or if we truly haven’t noticed, let’s wake up and notice.
Look: Everything that can be lost, will be lost.
It’s simple — how could we have missed it for so long?
Let’s grieve our losses fully, like ripe human beings,
But please, let’s not be so shocked by them.
Let’s not act so betrayed,
As though life had broken her secret promise to us.
Impermanence is life’s only promise to us,
And she keeps it with ruthless impeccability.
To a child she seems cruel, but she is only wild,
And her compassion exquisitely precise:
Brilliantly penetrating, luminous with truth,
She strips away the unreal to show us the real.
This is the true ride — let’s give ourselves to it!
Let’s stop making deals for a safe passage:
There isn’t one anyway, and the cost is too high.
We are not children anymore.
The true human adult gives everything for what cannot be lost.
Let’s dance the wild dance of no hope!
Latest Community Insights  |
This is the True Ride
What does the notion of ‘grieving our losses fully, without being betrayed by them’ mean to you? Can you share a personal experience involving life’s exquisitely precise compassion? How do we develop the strength to stop making deals for a safe passage? |
| Jagdish P Dave wrote: Being human and 89 years old, I have gone through painful losses of friends, brothers, sisters, parents, in-laws, brother-in-laws and sister-in-laws, nephews and nieces, wife and a few hig… |
| Abhishek wrote: Beautiful and Profound! Reminded me of Stoicism – the practice of mentally rehearsing the loss of everything we have, as a spiritual practice of building gratitude and acknowledging the ‘real deal’ A… |
| david doane wrote: “Grieving our losses fully, without being betrayed by them” means to me to grieve deeply and fully while having and moving into the realization that nothing is permanent, everything that comes … |
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Back in 1997, one person started sending this simple “meditation reminder” to a few friends. Soon after, “Wednesdays” started, ServiceSpace blossomed, and the humble experiments of service took a life of its own. If you’d like to start an Awakin gathering in your area, we’d be happy to help you get started.
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Editor’s note: This week, I was lucky enough to meet an inspiring college student who is part of a club on campus that focuses on doing small acts of kindness for others. From giving away chocolates during finals to simply being there for each other, these students are igniting the spirit of compassion and generosity in each other. Check out her personal reflection in this week’s newsletter about a life changing conversation she had on the bus!
Sangha of Auspicious Companions 