You thought it was what they pay you for,
but it turns out that the heart work

is the true stuff of a life. That we’re
here to live and grow in love—

that’s the real work that cannot be
measured in hours or years or time.

It’s the little-by-little, inch-by-inch,
unseen progress, the sneak-up-on-you

taps on the shoulder leading to ah ha!
moments that you didn’t see coming.

You’re not meant to, my friend, as you
bring light to those around you,

leaving it in their trembling hands.
You, helping to heal humanity, learning

that others’ lessons are yours, too,
that you’re in the same boat,

sailing the same sea, that we are
all one. There is no them, it turns out—

only us—a dawning that may take
a lifetime to pull out of your soul

and breathe into the world. But there
it goes, like dandelion spores

dispersed on a breeze, love drifting
into the day, shining like you.