The Poem I Wish I Read 10 Years Ago
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The Poem I Wish I Read 10 Years Ago
Last week, a reader sent me a poem that stopped me in my tracks...
To live content with small means.
To seek elegance rather than luxury,
and refinement rather than fashion.
To be worthy not respectable,
and wealthy not rich.
To study hard, think quietly, talk gently,
act frankly, to listen to stars, birds, babes,
and sages with open heart, to bear all cheerfully,
do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never.
In a word, to let the spiritual,
unbidden and unconscious,
grow up through the common.
This is to be my symphony.- William Ellery Channing
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a better distillation of a good life captured in so few words.
“To live content with small means”: Find your version of enough. Never let the quest for more distract you from the beauty of enough.
“To seek elegance rather than luxury”: Elegance is about depth. It’s simple. Nonchalant.
“To be worthy not respectable”: Worthiness is internal, about character. About your ability to look in the mirror and know you did your best. You told the truth.
“Wealthy, not rich”: Rich is about money. Wealth is about freedom, people, purpose, and health. Are you really surprised I loved this one? I wrote a whole book about the concept!
“To await occasions, hurry never”: To slow down in a speed-obsessed world is the ultimate act of quiet rebellion.
“To let the spiritual…grow up through the common”: Extraordinary things are hidden in the ordinary things that you take the time to notice.
The beautiful final line—“This is to be my symphony”—is a poignant reminder that you get to create the rhythm and melody of your life.
So, perhaps the question you need to ask yourself is simple:
What will be your symphony?
This touched something in my heart, Sahil. It reflects so much of what I’ve come to value on my healing path, living simply, listening deeply, choosing intention over noise. “To let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common”, that’s exactly how grace has shown up for me… not in grand moments, but in the quiet unfolding of everyday life. This is the rhythm I long to live by now, my own quiet symphony. Thank you for sharing this poem Sahil. 🙏🌹
That’s an incredible poem and a pertinent question to ask at the end. We each have our own symphony that we can pen through our core 5/6 values and live our lives through that lens. The more we can identify what’s rich, rewarding and resonates with us, the clearer our decisions become.