Hello Hedge School,
Are you in good shape?
Before you rush to answer. Let the words marinate for a while. Good questions require a period of courting. Beyond the literal lies the entertainment of a relationship. An opportunity to take a walk for a while. The quest invitation lies at the heart of every beautiful frame. Let the words fold back in on themselves. Slowly meander and take notice of all that is salient.
Be invited by questions.
So take my opening line. Are you in good shape? A rushed answer will refer to the state of our bodies. Or we'll try to reign in the muffin top that spills out over our jeans. The rushed response is a good start. But only a start.
If we sit with the question a while and repeat it over and over, the words start to move around. Start to shape shift. Nuances appear as curiosity takes grip.
What is a good shape?
Are we a shape?
What makes a shape good?
Am I inside the good shape?
Who judges the goodness of the shape?
Am I locked into one shape?
When I take this question for a walk, I start to think about my own shape. The shape that I have the privilege to embody. Uniquely mine. One people recognise as me, even if they haven't seen me for many years. This shape is my Pattern Integrity. A unique fingerprint. An essence. Distinctly me...whatever me is...a question for another time
So if I ask if I am in good shape, I start to think about integrity. Integrity, from the root word integer, meaning wholeness, has me thinking about all of me. All the nooks and crannies of the shape I inhabit.
Am I living into the fullness of the shape that I have been bestowed?
Have I been violating the shape that I have been gifted?
What part of this shape am I pretending not to know about?
What am I hiding away in the dark recesses?
As the question stews, rabbit holes appear everywhere. The mystery beckons. I can feel the need to satiate with answers but experience has taught me that answers are a dime a dozen. Staying open to the possibility that I may never bump into the "right answer" keeps me honest. The question is not a bucket to fill but a bucket to hold. An openness that keeps me curious. Keeps me honest. Keeps me in good shape.
So are you in good shape?
Till next week
Steve
Surrender to the shape of questions