For Wild Old People

John O’Donohue

The passionate heart never ages:

Sometimes in very old bodies there are incredibly young wild looking souls

looking out at you. It is so invigorating to meet a wild old person who has

remained faithful to their wild life force. Meister Eckhardt said that too in a

more formal way: there is a place in the soul that is eternal. He says time

makes you old but that there is a place in the soul that time cannot touch. It is

a lovely thing to know this about yourself. Even though time will inscribe your

face, weaken your limbs and make your movements slower and, finally, empty

your life, nevertheless there is still a place in your spirit that time can never get

near. You are as young as you feel. If you begin to feel the warmth of your soul,

there will be a youthfulness in you that no-one will ever be able to take away

from you. John O’Donohue, from his book Anam Cara (Soul Friend)

Thanks to Hugh Menton, Regional Co-Coordinator for California for sending along this reflection.