I AM

The small self (persona, personality, or ego) in all of us has a need to add more words to I AM.  I am _________ (a man, a woman, a conservative, a liberal, a Jew, a Muslim, an American, an African, a father, a mother, a husband, a wife, a doctor, a teacher, a businessman.  I am angry, sad, depressed, happy, stressed, joyful, guilty.  I am not good enough, I am not like you.  But the Big Self in all of us (the true Self, spirit or essence) just patiently waits for all the additional words to loose their meaning and for the realization that... I AM. (And so are you).  Of course I understand the practicality of using words to communicate in daily living- but I AM can only be experienced and when experienced, we all know that words just limit it.

I AM

I AM.

(and so are you).

Everything else is just a story

We make up as we go.

Believing there needs to be

Some further description beyond

I AM

We add more words.

Each new word doing what words do-

confining and limiting and separating.

Until we feel we are not enough

And we begin searching for what seems missing.

Adding more words

Instead of taking them away.

With each new word,

A new weight.  A new wait.

Adding to the wall we build around

I AM.

 But if you listen- really listen

To the whisper of I AM within

Here's what it's patiently

Trying to tell us...

The only thing ever missing

Was our discipline

To stop adding limiting words to

I AM.

(c) John E. Groberg, All rights reserved

Written January 4, 2011