Often a star was waiting for you to notice it. A wave rolled toward you out of the distant path, or as you walked under an open window, a violin yielded itself to your hearing. All this was mission.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of being aware of the beauty and opportunities that surround us every day.
Rainer Maria Rilke's quote suggests that there are countless moments and elements in life that are waiting to be acknowledged and appreciated. From the distant wave that rolls toward us to the music from a violin, these experiences are like missions calling for our attention. By being open to the world around us, we can discover profound beauty and significance in the seemingly ordinary moments of life.
In practice
In a motivational speech about mindfulness, I would use this quote to illustrate how being present can reveal hidden beauties in our lives.
Spring has again returned. _x000D_ _x000D_ The Earth is like a child that knows many poems._x000D_ _x000D_ Many, O so many. For the hardship_x000D_ _x000D_ of such long learning she receives the prize._x000D_ _x000D_ _x000D_ Strict was her teacher. _x000D_ _x000D_ The white in the old man's beard pleases us._x000D_ _x000D_ Now, what to call green, to call blue,_x000D_ _x000D_ we dare to ask: She knows, She knows!
Verses are not, as people think, feelings (those one has early enough) -- they are experiences. For the sake of a verse one must see many cities, men, and things, one must know the animals feel how birds fly, and know the gesture with which the little flowers open in the morning.
a good marriage is that in which each appoints the other guardian of his solitude
He reproduced himself with so much humble objectivity, with the unquestioning, matter of fact interest of a dog who sees himself in a mirror and thinks: there's another dog.
The only journey is the one within.
And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been
Any pain entailed in repentance will always be far less than the suffering required to satisfy justice for unresolved transgression.
I wrote a great deal... but very little of any importance; there are not more than four of five papers which I can still remember with some satisfaction.
I happen to be extremely left-brained; my instinct is to draw a chart rather than a picture. I'm trying to get my right-brain muscles into shape. I actually think this shift toward right-brain abilities has the potential to make us both better off and better in a deeper sense.
Always have a vivid imagination, for you never know when you might need it.
The realization of Truth and Reality can never be created by the mind ... it always comes as a gift of grace. Inquiry clears away misperceptions and illusions, making one available to the movements of grace.
Only when a tree has fallen can you take the measure of it. It is the same with a man.
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