Always Learning

A Mary Oliver Poem for Thanksgiving

By Leigh Pretnar Cousins, MS

I’m going to devote my Wednesday blog posts to the topic of What I’ve Been Reading. This is going to be easy because I’m always reading something.

I’ve been reading The Truro Bear, a lovely little collection of poems and essays by Mary Oliver. She writes about her encounters with animals in Truro, MA, a very special place for her (as well as for me!)

All thirteen of The Percy Poems are especially charming. In the tenth poem, I think Mary’s little dog, Percy, has exactly the right Thanksgiving advice for us:

 

I Ask Percy How I Should Live My Life

Love, love, love, says Percy.

And hurry as fast as you can

along the shining beach, or the rubble, or the dust.

Then, go to sleep.

Give up your body heat, your beating heart.

Then, trust.

[photos taken on the beach at LisSurMer in Truro, MA, looking first toward Wellfleet and then toward Provincetown]
Leigh Pretnar Cousins, MS is an educator, counselor, writer and speaker. She's been a tutor, test prep coach and home school teacher for over thirty years. Leigh also teaches communication and relationship skills to couples and families. Leigh's current projects include Understanding the People You Love, a series of "practical psychology" lessons for parents and couples, and LisSurMer, a retreat on Cape Cod for highly sensitive and creative people. Click HERE to visit Leigh's website and HERE for her Facebook page. Follow her on Twitter! @CousinsTutoring

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    Last reviewed: 16 Nov 2011

APA Reference
Cousins, L. (2011). A Mary Oliver Poem for Thanksgiving. Psych Central. Retrieved on May 21, 2012, from http://blogs.psychcentral.com/always-learning/2011/11/a-mary-oliver-poem-for-thanksgiving/

 

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