The poet Mary Oliver spent most of her life outside writing about nature walks and her search for the divine. In her early years, she was fascinated by the possibility of eternal life. Later, despite never having attained clear answers to many of her spiritual questions, she was intrigued by her recognition that eternity and continuance are realities of existence. Time and matter continue indefinitely, and as she describes, "everything’s a little energy: you go back, and you’re these little bits of energy, and pretty soon, you’re something else. Now, that’s a continuance. It’s not the one we think of when we’re talking about the golden streets [of heaven] but it’s something quite wonderful." (from her interview with Krista Tippett). She described the process of writing poems in her spiritual search as always "insufficient" but nevertheless "endlessly fascinating." Her poems helped develop her shifting beliefs and enriched her way of living. Oliver helps me see that questions about the possibilities of eternity and continuance are spiritual questions pertinent and accessible to all interested in pondering them. I share her sense that a life pursued mindfully pondering spiritual questions proves increasingly intriguing over time.
The other day, someone representing a place of worship in the subway handed me a pamphlet that asked, "how will you spend eternity?" I mentally answered "playing the violin" and smiled. I had just arranged music lessons for myself for the first time in many years, something I never expected to do again. I recently rediscovered how much playing music supports my inner wellness. Our paths sometimes take unexpected turns and sometimes bring us back to things that were important to us in the past. While I don't claim personal certainty about what happens when we die, just the idea of indefinitely progressing in activities that I enjoy inspires me. The same day, an older individual described to me how curiosity, learning and pursuing new knowledge and skills can work as an enjoyable virtuous cycle into old age. This too led me to ponder eternity and what nurtures our spiritual wellness.
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