I Am Rhythm

I spent a lifetime convincing myself I didn’t ‘get’ rhythm.

What could an island boy raised by trees, sea, and ice know about such a thing?

Nothing, he muttered bitterly under his breath. 

But despite lying to myself, Rhythm wouldn’t leave me alone. 

Rhythm nagged me for years, weaseling its way into my brain through the wires feeding my ears songs stolen from Limewire. But that was as far as Rhythm got.

I never let Rhythm into my body. 

How absurd, he whispered into the heart of his pillow.

Now, Rhythm is everywhere. I’m suffused. 

Rhythm blooming from the Temple of Song & Dance is obvious.

But rhythm hasn’t stayed put in the Temple. Rhythm has slipped from those realms into how I manage my time. I’ve given myself over to life’s subtle winks and nudges. 

Even in how I walk, there’s felinity now.

So I keep pace and enjoy the ride. I let my days fill and empty with projects, friends, family, parties, ceremonies, and the tending of life… ebbing and flowing like the tide. 

All have become a dance to enjoy, rather than boxes to tick. And so there’s no frenzy of trying to finish a dance by a certain time, or even in a certain way. I enjoy the dance more than the finish, so why rush? In this way, none are neglected, all are fed.

With rhythm, life feels less like a chore and more like play. 

You’ll find nothing is foisted on you, only chosen. 

Prioritizing and savouring what matters most to you is easy. 

You can relax into the flow of your life, grinning like Yuki would if she appeared with an eagle in her jaws and starlight in her eye, because you know you’re aligned.

With love from the forest,

~ Alexander