Friday, June 25, 2010

My Room of Six

My room of six holds more than six.
My more than six don't actually believe that if you forward an e-mail chain letter, you will be "blessed" on the fourth day. They don't believe in forwards. And they don't need the luck.

Compelling thought, to gather 6 women who have touched my life; put them in a room together, and test the notion that nothing would then be impossible.

How would we start? Would they hate each other? Squirm in their chair and wonder why on earth the others were there? Would they have an impossibly awful fight? Would they seem outrageous to each other? Opinionated? Extreme? Excessive? Repressive?

My room of six would not make a wish before reading a quotation or forwarding to their own rooms of six. They would look at the forward suspiciously, study it, examine its source, snort a little at its assertions, then disobey each and every commandment within.

They'd be too busy with horticultural pursuits, artfully piecing fabrics, assimilating refugees, creating beauty, ignoring banality for the greater good, mindfully reading, meeting their neighbours, pursuing their children, sharing, laughing, considering how to live with less, hiking, biking, advising, protecting, truth-telling, feeding, feet washing, world changing, and ass kicking to bother with following e-mail rules. And a bunch of other rules, for that matter.

They would never believe that by forwarding an e-mail, something magical will happen on the fourth day. They won't worry one bit about breaking any type of chain whatsoever. And when they break it, as they will... they won't worry one second about what sort of evil will stalk them, their menfolk, their animals, sheep, goats, or their chin hair tweezers.

They might make a wish, but they know there is no magic in an e-mail.
But they might send it anyway. Because they are not the sort of women who gain their pleasure by cutting down people around them. They are the sort who cheer when you succeed, and cry when you're hurting. They are the sort who boldly swim upstream.

They could send a blessing, and mean it.

May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us.

They are unlikely to send this to 6 women or more within the next 5 minutes. They won't count four days ahead and anticipate something spectacular.
In my room of more than six, spectacular is what they can do.
Without counting.

4 comments:

janice said...

WOW!! Just Wow.

You have rendered me speechless. When I get one of those chain mails I get annoyed - you write a profound blog post about it.

Brian the Mennonite said...

Can I be one of your 6?
Nicely written, Joycie. This should be forwarded somewhere...

Anonymous said...

Oh do I ever GET that. Nicely said. Schwester

Heather said...

Now THAT'S worth forwarding!