08/14/2026
“My work is loving the world.
Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird -
Equal seekers of sweetness.
Here the quickening yeast there the blue plums.
Here the clam deep in the specked sand.
Are my boots old? Is my coat torn?
Am I no longer young, and still not half perfect?
Let me
Keep my mind on what matters,
Which is my work,
Which is mostly standing still and learning to be astonished.
The Phoebe, the Delphinium.
The sheep in the pasture, the pasture.
Which is mostly rejoicing, since all of the ingredients are here,
Which is gratitude to be given a mind and a heart,
And these body clothes,
A mouth with which to give shouts of joy
To the moth and the wren, to the sleepy dug up clam,
Telling them all, over and over, how it is that we live forever. “
My work is loving the World
Mary Oliver
