The Key

Artwork by Katsuhisa Toda, "Morning Gift"

I often find myself looking for the key

To unlock the great mysteries in my mind

I want to know the answers

I want to see the path

But so often that key is out of reach

And so I wear myself out

Reaching and climbing

Grasping and gasping for air

All the while the story of my life

Is still being written

And all I can see

Is what’s right in front of me

I can’t skip ahead

Try as I might

Can’t read the chapters yet to come

Can’t steal a peek at how it all turns out

But when I stop struggling

To break free of the present moment

When I allow myself

To embrace the limitations of now

I awaken to the beauty

In the middle of my story

The life rising up

In the in-between

I start to realize

That the key is an illusion

That the answers I seek

Can’t be grasped in a moment

The path will emerge as I walk it

Truth will unfold as I live it

If I learn to pay attention

To my life here and now