Instructions to Get Home
poetry by Sare Liz Anuszkiewicz

Every morning do a thing to feed your soul
as well as your body
Every morning do a thing to challenge your soul
as well as your body

Every day, when you approach the work of that day
be it painting a wall,
raising a child,
pulling a weed,
or anything else in this wide world, 
do three things.
First, greet it with gratitude.
Today you don’t have to do it, you get to do it.
Second, be determined to give it your best shot.
Third, see it for what it is today,
noticing the subtle changes from yesterday.

Every day, when you finish the work of your day,
finish in three ways.
First, feel gratitude for the lessons and truths that you learned,
be they soft and gentle,
or uncommonly difficult.
Second, acknowledge that you gave it your best,
even if you failed,
even if you succeeded.
Third, let it go without hauling it’s burdensome weight with you.

Every evening do a thing to feed your soul 
as well as your body.
Every evening do a thing to challenge your soul
as well as your body.

And never resist the urge to whisper ‘I love you!’
to anyone or anything.

Whisper it with your eyes to a passing squirrell,
or to a leaf with your fingertips.
Whisper it with your mouth into the fur of a dog
or to someone you love, with your arms.
Whisper it into the trees and the valleys and the sky
whenever you feel the slightest urge to do so,
with every action and every thought and every breath,
whisper, ‘I love you’
until it’s the only thing you ever really say,
no matter which other words you choose.

Do this, and you will go home
even more quickly, now.