A Sunday Short—Sept 3. Riddle me this:

If you can live into THIS question, you’d be in the top 1% of all humans.

Photo by Emily Morter on Unsplash

In the OnBeing podcast with Barbara Brown Taylor, Krista Tippett recounts a conversation Taylor wrote about when an Elder from her faith tradition asked her, Taylor…,

“What’s saving your life right now?”

Taylor shared that that moment, of the asking of that question, marked a turning point in her life. So she took the question seriously because it was asked seriously. It wasn’t in the manner of the disrespectful “Hi, how are you?”

Disclaimer time:

Disrespectful because it is such the automatic and rote question; so much so that we ask it from an unconscious place in our minds, that hardly anyone really cares about the answer. Those four words roll off the tongue with nary a thought behind them when we reunite with someone. It’s almost as if something is wrong with you if you don’t say those words when greeting. Watch yourself the next time you greet someone, if you remember to, and catch the feeling inside when you catch yourself saying: “Hi, how are you?” And if you are really mindful, and committed to greeting in a different way, catch that feeling of weirdness, maybe even awkwardness, when you use different words. Then catch the surprise in the other person.

That mindless roteness is why there is also an automatic and even more rote, unconscious response: “fine.” Or a variant thereof. Even when we’re not fine. Those four words, said like most do, do not promote relationship. They advance a kind of sterile politeness.

You might likely be saying now: “No, hold on now Kert. When I ask that question, I always mean it.” Promise me this—the next time you see me, ask me that question. Then I’ll tell you if you really mean it. (Yes, I am clairvoyant! Actually, I’m not. See, the person to judge authenticity is the person on the receiving end. Always—I can intend for something to be completely benevolent, and think I’m all it, but if the other person didn’t receive it in such a way, I might actually have caused harm. Or maybe worse, indifference.)

And THEN we we’ll be able to settle into a truly deep, honest, and soulful connection. Because THEN, the conversation, from that point on, will be real.

End disclaimer. Phew!

The Elder that asked that question stayed and waited and looked through the windows of Taylor’s eyes into her soul, and expected an answer.

And Taylor reports never being the same person ever again.

If I asked YOU that question, what would you say? Takes some thought, I hope. It should. “What is saving your life right now” are the things that make life worth living, that get you up on mornings when you do not have the formal obligations of work (count yourself among the lucky rare if your work can be a part of your answer—and I don’t mean that it pays your bills either); the things that make you feel you are seizing the day to be of benefit to others; that prove to you you are living a life and death of purpose and meaning.

“What is saving your life right now?” is too important a question to not ponder deeply, and often.

Because it just might.

It JUST might.

It just might be saving your life right now.

And I don’t want you to miss it.

So, I ask you again, more seriously this time:

If you do take me seriously (because I am), and if do you take yourself seriously, and the condition of your soul seriously, because you should, and if you do take this question seriously, maybe you’ll take a few breaths, and a few moments of reflection, and maybe even with pen and paper or keyboard at the ready, and have a go at an answer.

I’ll bet after, again, if you take it seriously, you’ll never be the same person again. You’ll be in rare company; like, top 1% of all humans rare company. Because you “gave a damn” enough to care about an answer. And the overwhelming majority of people simply. Don’t. Go. There. Ever. With themselves—the one and only person who accompanies them over the span of their entire life, breath after breath, from the first until the last.

And if you doubt me, about never being the same again, call me. I’ll prove you wrong on that too.

Always and Ubuntu,

~ kert

🙏🏼

Postscript: I didn’t want to muddle this post with MY answer (so I’ll get around to writing a post about it as I ponder it deeply myself—actually, I KNOW what is saving my life now, but now is not the time for sharing). I really do have the intention that you try this out for yourself. If you are so obliged, and brave, you can add your answer, at least in part, in the comments section. Or email me with it. I would love to learn from you your answer. Who knows, if you did that, you might be among those saving my life right now.

And btw, it will be my new “ice breaker question.” So, if indeed you see me, and greet me with “Hi, how are you?” I’ll say “fine,” even if I’m not, ‘cuz I’ll be checking to see if your serious, and without taking a breath, follow up with…

“but what’s saving YOUR life right now?”

‘Cuz I’ll be serious.