Rumi’s Wisdom

As an adult, I have become fond of Rumi’s wisdom found within his poetry. It was amazing to find out that he was born as Jalal al-Din Rumi in 1207 in Persia, which is now known as Afghanistan. He seemed to have an immense knowledge of this life as well as the afterlife. Here are four of his quotes.

Several of his quotes are apt advice for us when we grieve.

• Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.
• Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart.

Not only are the two above statements great advice for life in general, but they are also particularly important for when we are grieving. When we do what we are drawn to do, by virtue of love, it makes life feel as if it is falling into place. Many times, it is acting on those heart felt desires which brings us the most comfort. This particular work could be our actual job or even a hobby. The most important factor is that we make time for what our heart desires. It helps us to focus upon love and desire rather than pain and grief. In fact, this type of action can be part of the healing process when we lose a loved one. Here is an earlier post which includes various grief models: Approaching Grief. Wait Grief Weight expands upon ways people may find comfort in their sorrow.

More Rumi’s Wisdom

• Gratitude is the wine for the soul. Go on. Get drunk.

I will be the first (or maybe second) who would say being grateful while a loved one is in hospice is one challenging practice. However, I did it. Daily for approximately three weeks, I recorded ten different things for which to be grateful while our son was in his last earthly days. Gosh, it was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done. However, I can also say that it was a wonderful and mind-bending practice. I’m quite certain it helped to ease my burden as well as to give me a more uplifting attitude. Even after we’ve lost a loved one, purpose driven gratitude can encourage us to realize that there is so much more to life if we simply stop, look, and listen while being aware and grateful.

If you’ve never tried a gratitude list for a period of twenty to thirty days, I challenge you to try it! Let me know how it affects you!

• The world is a mountain, in which your words are echoed back to you.

It is also wise to be cognizant of our words. What if your words were echoed back to you? I know sometimes when I review my day, I may recall a comment I made to someone. I’ve laughed at myself, later realizing that I could have very well made the same comment to myself. (Would that be an echo of sorts?) Additionally, the Golden Rule – do unto others as you would have them do unto you – seems another illustration of Rumi’s last quote above.

Enjoy these Rumi quotes. Here is a Rumi resource if you’d like to know more about him: https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20140414-americas-best-selling-poet. Do you have any favorite Rumi quotes?