Mary Oliver, One Wild and Precious Life

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” Summer Day, by Mary Oliver

Mary Oliver was someone who was very tuned in to her system and to the natural world. Many of her poems are about being present in nature and with wildlife. Her poems are rich in details like having a drink out of this one pond every day and she can kind of taste the moss and the ducks feet.

When we are in nature, we may or may not “be there”. Even in a beautiful forest or at the ocean, our mind can be anywhere. Poets like Mary Oliver remind us to pay attention, to be present with ourselves and to notice our body and thoughts in our mind.

A quote like this can bring a flurry of activity and often regret. I grieve the loss of aliveness in the years when I was really numb and checked out. Dissociation is a common trauma response. We are not fully here. We are living a half life and then we read her poem. There is a poignancy and sadness. This is our life. The frozen times, the anxious times, the days and months lost to compulsive thinking.

Part of what we do in this one wild and precious life is heal trauma. Our own and up and down through generations. We are becoming known to ourselves. This is not a Disney movie. It is not three easy steps and we are healed. Human life is messy and difficult. We have…