The Invitation by Oriah
It doesn’t interest me
what you do for a living.
I want to know
what you ache for
and if you dare to dream
of meeting your heart’s longing.
It doesn’t interest me
how old you are.
I want to know
if you will risk
looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn’t interest me
what planets are
squaring your moon...
I want to know
if you have touched
the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened
by life’s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.
I want to know
if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.
I want to know
if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations
of being human.
It doesn’t interest me
if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear
the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.
I want to know
if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes.”
It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live
or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.
It doesn’t interest me
who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.
It doesn’t interest me
where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know
what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.
I want to know
if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like
the company you keep
in the empty moments
"The Invitation" is a really great way for me to reorient myself in the world when I seem to be so caught up in everything else.
What I find so inspirational about this piece of poetry is it's not simply challenging you to share your goals and dreams, but is aiding in the process of self analysis and self efficacy - but not just in terms of the world, but individually. She is challenging each and everyone of us to look deep within ourselves and take a serious inventory of who we really are.
A passage I find really interesting:
It doesn't interest me
where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know
what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.
I find this to be extremely applicable to our program and each of us as McNair Scholars. It doesn't matter with all of the fine details if you don't care about your fellow human beings at the end of the day. We are McNair Scholars not simply by selection and because of the memory of Dr. McNair - WE are Scholars in his memory because he understood and actively engaged in the process of social and economic growth and development through the attainment of higher education. Although he was an astronaut, he was a humanitarian. What is so remarkable about him (in my opinion) is his belief in and empowerment of the underprivileged.
So, in our active participation in this program take time to recognize and give thanks to those who have come before you - humility is an important virtue that all people should actively incorporate into life. During our busy lives, looking at graduate programs, studying, writing reflections and affirmations, and meeting with mentors - remember why we now have a special privilege and status as McNair Scholars. Remember the life and legacy of Dr. McNair.
