Stories are storehouses. Truth silos. Let us be caught by stories. Take them in. Analyzing comes later. First, simply experience. Understanding comes later.

This is a freedom for me. When I’m reading a book or a poem or looking at a painting or a sculpture, often a thought of, “I don’t understand,” comes in, then a thought and a feeling that I’m stupid or that the book/art is stupid. That’s the wall. That’s my mind closing the door.

Instead, if I can, I can say no thank you not right now to those thoughts, then I can take in the story and let it work. No need to understand. No need to analyze. Ahhhh now I can breathe. All I need to do is take it in. Read it through the book. Sit with the sculpture. Let my body feel what it feels. That’s it.