I let it percolate and here is what flowed out of me…
I’m standing at the edge of endings and beginnings. The dissolution of who I thought I was and the becoming, no, the remembering of who I am.
I’m standing at the edge of uncertainty. I know the only constant is change and yet the prospect of change still paralyzes me.
I’m standing at the edge of a World On Fire, feeling hopeless, helpless and terrified.
I’m standing at the edge of a dream of hope. A dream of slowing down and reconnecting, and finding the eye of the storm where we can build something new.
I’m standing at the edge of courage and grit. There is a way, I know there is a way. There is always a way if we look hard enough.
I’m standing at the edge of transformation and transmutation.
Linnea, I love all the different places you went with this prompt—from the internal to the external world. From terror to hope. I especially loved the part about dissolving and discovering your real self at the same time. That is the heart of transformation.
Thanks for this thought-provoking prompt, Laura! Do you know the book, Standing At The Edge, by Joan Halifax? She's a Buddhist teacher, Zen priest and anthropologist (per her brief bio on the back of the book cover).
I can relate to this feeling of uncertainty we're swimming in, and appreciate the many edges and various perspectives that arose when you answered the prompt.
Hi Jennifer, I know of Joan Halifax, but haven’t read that particular book. I know her mostly through her hospice work, but her incredible work has rippled out in so many different directions.
thanks for taking the time to respond, sometimes just naming the state of uncertainty helps….this is the just way things are right now….
Thank you, Laura. I decided to spend a little time with your prompt this morning, and here's what showed up:
I am standing at the edge of a moment I can embrace or push away. It's a moment of not knowing what the future holds, a moment that could easily topple into hopelessness. The country is heading toward autocracy, cruelty, racism, hatred, censorship, and male egos run amok. But it's my moment as much as it is theirs and if I say yes to it -- to the whole catastrophe and splendor of it -- I'm also saying yes to the whole of me, yes to the mystery, yes to the One who created and sustains it all.
I am standing at the edge of infinite love. It's so accessible, this love. Everywhere I turn, inside or outside, it freely offers itself and asks nothing in return. Now I'm no longer at the edge, but in the middle of that love. The sense of being held is overpowering. If there is any certainty in this world, it is that the divine, indwelling isness can be found within each one of us.
I'm standing at the edge of ecstasy and also deep sadness, knowing what is possible for every being on this planet and how far away most of us remain from the plain and simple truth. And so I pray and allow the love to strengthen me for whatever might come next. I feel my resolve growing to accept what life offers me with gratitude. I am determined to keep my own lamp lit and shining.
I am standing at the edge of my awareness where I feel it stretching, expanding, refusing to stay small. When I let go of witnessing and just BE the bare awareness, the beauty of the moment stuns me. And then I know there is no edge -- it's all center, every breath, every sacred centimeter -- nothing separate.
Thanks for the journey, Laura. It was an unexpected ride!
I love this write you did. Especially these lines: "The country is heading toward autocracy, cruelty, racism, hatred, censorship, and male egos run amok. But it's my moment as much as it is theirs and if I say yes to it -- to the whole catastrophe and splendor of it -- I'm also saying yes to the whole of me, yes to the mystery, yes to the One who created and sustains it all." And this: "I am determined to keep my own lamp lit and shining." That's not easy these days. I'm determined to do it, too.
Thank you. Laura. Lots to think about with your prompt. I’m teetering on the edge of anxiety (my first go to) and staying in the moment with hope for the future. It’s an uncomfortable place to be yet here I am.
I see you have an online class on writing about what we don’t remember. I still have stuff I don’t remember. More has come up lately. It’s odd to be aware of this and try to process all of this information. At close to 77 years old this is surprising. I need to get through Passover and some family and medical stuff and then will think about the class.
Vicki, thanks for taking the time to respond. I think the edge is always uncomfortable-at least for most of us. Growth always is. Uncertainty—most humans like certainty, though it is always an illusion.
I’d love you to join the “How to Wriate About What You Can’t Remember” class. It starts the second week in May, and runs five weeks on Zoom, so you have time. I hope to see your registration roll into my inbox. It would be great to work with you.
What a great prompt, Laura! It beautifully captures the tension between fear and possibility. Thank you for naming the edges many of us are standing on, and for the reminder that even at the edge of the cliff, awe and wonder can be found.
I loved this Laura. I think I will use this prompt and see where it takes me.
Great. I’d love to know where it takes you.
I let it percolate and here is what flowed out of me…
I’m standing at the edge of endings and beginnings. The dissolution of who I thought I was and the becoming, no, the remembering of who I am.
I’m standing at the edge of uncertainty. I know the only constant is change and yet the prospect of change still paralyzes me.
I’m standing at the edge of a World On Fire, feeling hopeless, helpless and terrified.
I’m standing at the edge of a dream of hope. A dream of slowing down and reconnecting, and finding the eye of the storm where we can build something new.
I’m standing at the edge of courage and grit. There is a way, I know there is a way. There is always a way if we look hard enough.
I’m standing at the edge of transformation and transmutation.
Linnea, I love all the different places you went with this prompt—from the internal to the external world. From terror to hope. I especially loved the part about dissolving and discovering your real self at the same time. That is the heart of transformation.
Thank you Laura. I guess that is how I see the world - two poles that are intertwined. Opposite but the same. Dialectical. Loved this prompt!
Thanks for this thought-provoking prompt, Laura! Do you know the book, Standing At The Edge, by Joan Halifax? She's a Buddhist teacher, Zen priest and anthropologist (per her brief bio on the back of the book cover).
I can relate to this feeling of uncertainty we're swimming in, and appreciate the many edges and various perspectives that arose when you answered the prompt.
Hi Jennifer, I know of Joan Halifax, but haven’t read that particular book. I know her mostly through her hospice work, but her incredible work has rippled out in so many different directions.
thanks for taking the time to respond, sometimes just naming the state of uncertainty helps….this is the just way things are right now….
So beautiful and provocative!
Thank you BK. Or do you go by Kate?
Mostly Kate but either/both. 😁
Thank you, Laura. I decided to spend a little time with your prompt this morning, and here's what showed up:
I am standing at the edge of a moment I can embrace or push away. It's a moment of not knowing what the future holds, a moment that could easily topple into hopelessness. The country is heading toward autocracy, cruelty, racism, hatred, censorship, and male egos run amok. But it's my moment as much as it is theirs and if I say yes to it -- to the whole catastrophe and splendor of it -- I'm also saying yes to the whole of me, yes to the mystery, yes to the One who created and sustains it all.
I am standing at the edge of infinite love. It's so accessible, this love. Everywhere I turn, inside or outside, it freely offers itself and asks nothing in return. Now I'm no longer at the edge, but in the middle of that love. The sense of being held is overpowering. If there is any certainty in this world, it is that the divine, indwelling isness can be found within each one of us.
I'm standing at the edge of ecstasy and also deep sadness, knowing what is possible for every being on this planet and how far away most of us remain from the plain and simple truth. And so I pray and allow the love to strengthen me for whatever might come next. I feel my resolve growing to accept what life offers me with gratitude. I am determined to keep my own lamp lit and shining.
I am standing at the edge of my awareness where I feel it stretching, expanding, refusing to stay small. When I let go of witnessing and just BE the bare awareness, the beauty of the moment stuns me. And then I know there is no edge -- it's all center, every breath, every sacred centimeter -- nothing separate.
Thanks for the journey, Laura. It was an unexpected ride!
Danna Faulds
I love this write you did. Especially these lines: "The country is heading toward autocracy, cruelty, racism, hatred, censorship, and male egos run amok. But it's my moment as much as it is theirs and if I say yes to it -- to the whole catastrophe and splendor of it -- I'm also saying yes to the whole of me, yes to the mystery, yes to the One who created and sustains it all." And this: "I am determined to keep my own lamp lit and shining." That's not easy these days. I'm determined to do it, too.
Great prompt. I kept mine for myself for now. Because I'm right now at that edge. But it was good to have that prompt.
Glad you wrote to it. That’s just what I hope people will do!
Thank you. Laura. Lots to think about with your prompt. I’m teetering on the edge of anxiety (my first go to) and staying in the moment with hope for the future. It’s an uncomfortable place to be yet here I am.
I see you have an online class on writing about what we don’t remember. I still have stuff I don’t remember. More has come up lately. It’s odd to be aware of this and try to process all of this information. At close to 77 years old this is surprising. I need to get through Passover and some family and medical stuff and then will think about the class.
❤️🌷
Vicki, thanks for taking the time to respond. I think the edge is always uncomfortable-at least for most of us. Growth always is. Uncertainty—most humans like certainty, though it is always an illusion.
I’d love you to join the “How to Wriate About What You Can’t Remember” class. It starts the second week in May, and runs five weeks on Zoom, so you have time. I hope to see your registration roll into my inbox. It would be great to work with you.
What a great prompt, Laura! It beautifully captures the tension between fear and possibility. Thank you for naming the edges many of us are standing on, and for the reminder that even at the edge of the cliff, awe and wonder can be found.
Thank you Mahi! I really like prompts that encourage us to explore in multiple directions—especially right now.
What are you standing on the edge of right now?