Tell me, men of learning, what is Longing made from?
What cloth was put in it that it does not wear out with me?
Gold wears out, silver wears out, velvet wears out, silk wears out,
Every ample garment wears out — yet Longing does not wear out.
Great Longing, cruel Longing, is breaking my heart every day;
When I sleep most sound at night, Longing comes and wakes me.
–Excerpt from an old Welsh poem
I picked up this verse from The Mist Filled Path. The Longing described by the poet can be a powerful force for personal growth. Cultivated properly, trimmed and clipped at intervals, Longing and other semi-painful emotions can add a lot of character and vitality to the garden of your soul. But they can take over and strangle the other flowers if you don’t keep them in check. In this post and a couple later ones I want to present my favorite meditation for finding respite and peace.