Take me past the one-dimensional language to my fuller life please. — Robert H., Australia

Dear Robert,

Your message reminds me of T.S. Eliot's lines in The Four Quartets:

Words strain,
Crack and sometimes break, under the burden,
Under the tension, slip, slide, perish,
Decay with imprecision, will not stay in place,
Will not stay still.

The irony is that no one can tell you in words how to get from language to your fuller life. If anyone comes close, it is poets and musicians. Trees, breezes, the smile of a friend, a bird song, waves on the shore, even a tragedy that draws out your noblest qualities may tell you some of their secrets. In the end, the only person who can take you to your fuller life, with their help, is yourself. Listening to what you already know is a good place to begin...and we are all, always, beginning.

Kind regards,
Patricia