“Prescription for the Disillusioned” by Rebecca del Rio
Come new to this day.
Remove the rigid
overcoat of experience,
the notion of knowing,
the beliefs that cloud
your vision.
Leave behind the stories
of your life. Spit out the
sour taste of unmet expectation.
Let the stale scent of what-ifs
waft back into the swamp
of your useless fears.
Arrive curious, without the armor
of certainty, the plans and planned
results of the life you’ve imagined.
Live the life that chooses you, new
every breath, every blink of
your astonished eyes.
To stay soft as we bear the sorrows of the world, engage in generative conflict, entertain what feels unattainable, we must balance the enormous challenges and weight with the practices that lighten the load and prevent cynicism: seeing beauty, being in awe, being presence, and knowing joy. We are invited to dance with and be stretched by the full, dynamic experience of holding both. One does not diminish the other. This range of experience is what it means to be fully alive.
In a world with so much noise and tension, may we all sense the vision described above, arriving to this wild life again with curiosity, clarity, ease, and embodiment. Our soft, animal bodies are worthy of time and space beyond clocks, without an agenda to achieve, defend, provide, or prove. May it be known that your dreams, your ability to really rest, to know stillness, to commune with Earth, is inherently countercultural, in a culture that profits from the ways we forget, we go numb, we disconnect, we disassociate. My prayer is that returning to yourself in this way quiets the noise and softens the tension when you are back in the center of it. May your time of presence and rest be truly restorative. May you come new to this day, astonished and alive, and may gratitude overflow in you and spill out into acts of love.
Upcoming activities:
- This Sunday, November 16th, Young Adult Luncheon 12-1:30pm
Macey will provide soup, bread, sweets, and guided conversation among 18–35-year-old participants. If children are present, they are welcome to stick around to eat and play alongside their parents. - Mondays in November (3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th) at 11am, Mindful Movement in the Sanctuary
Join Macey in the UUFM Sanctuary for an all-levels yoga practice. This series of dates and times will be a trial run to gauge interest and availability. This is a free offering to anyone who would like to come, but donations to UUFM are welcome. Please email Macey (lffdirector.uumankato@gmail.com) about when would work for you if you are interested but unable to attend at these timeframes to provide information for future scheduling. - Wednesday, November 19th, 6:30-8pm. Visual Gratitude Journaling in the UUFM Fellowship Hall
Macey is tentatively reviving an art journaling night, a tradition from the last couple of years! Please RSVP below, as we will hold this programming, as long as a minimum of 3 participants plan on joining. In addition to art-making, there will be tea, cider, snacks, and connection. Open to people of all ages! Supplies will be available, but you are welcome to bring your own journal and drawing materials if you have them.
https://uufm.breezechms.com/form/6482e994938457328676384715