"The most regretful people on earth are those that felt the call to creative work, who felt their own creative power resistive and uprising, and gave to it neither power nor time." - Mary Oliver.

I was going to write a fun update with what I made for holiday gifts and talk about the painting raffle but then I found out Mary Oliver died. I haven't read a ton of her work but what I have read, I love. My social media feed is currently a mix of people's favorite poems and quotes by her and it's inspiring to see how much her poetry has impacted so many people.

I am particularly struck by how everyone I know has pulled out a different line from, "Wild Geese," as being particularly meaningful to them, including someone who's first tattoo was the first line.

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting -
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

-Mary Oliver

So I'm sharing that with you now and if you would like to share, feel free to reply with your favorite poem or quote from Mary Oliver.

For more businessy business I'm happy to say both the Main Street screen and Water Garden painting found homes. I’m excited to have more space to create new things.

Thanks for reading,

-Sara

You Do Not Have To Be Good.