“You are so young, so much before all beginning, and I would like to beg you…to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves...”
- Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet
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February: month of transition, not-quite-thereness, and - for many of us - a time of something “unresolved in [our] heart”. This quote, with its gentle invocation to love what is unfinished and in flux, has been strongly with me as we move into what is perhaps one of the most in-between months of the year.
Rilke’s quote is addressed to a young person, but I sense that in some way, we are all “so much before all beginning”, no matter what our age. Our lineage as human creatures on this earth is so short compared to the ocean of time in which other lifeforms have flourished. We try so hard to do this life on our own, and that burns us out. Especially in transitional times, we need support that goes beyond us. Light, sound, plants, animals - these much-older forms of life can be subtle sources of nourishment and support.
What are small, daily things that support you in times of transition? For me, watching sunlight pour onto my desk this morning slowed my breath. Drinking passionflower tea prepared for me by a loving and wise herbalist calmed and grounded my body. Listening to the robins and crows outside my window helped me feel connected. Attending to these things allowed me to receive their support.
As I stay with my own version of what is “unresolved in [my] heart”, I find that most of what’s needed aren’t big, sweeping answers, but these gentle, daily forms of connection and nourishment. I can’t always “love the questions”, as Rilke suggests, but I can gradually let in organic gestures of care in the midst of the questions.
Here’s to a month filled with accessible nourishment and daily support. May you be gentle with yourself as you navigate your own version of what is unresolved and in-between.
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