It does not interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream your heart's longing.
It does not interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.
It does not interest me what planet is squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals -- or have become shriveled and closed from fear and further pain.
I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it, fade it, or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with the JOY, mine or your own; if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, or to remember the limitations of being human.
It does not interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul.
I want to know if you can be faithful and therefore trustworthy. I want to know if you can see beauty even when it is not pretty every day, and if you can source your life from God's presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure, yours or mine, and still stand on the edge of the a lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, "YES!"
It does not interest me where, what, or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in quiet moments.
-Oriah Mountain Dreamer, Native North American Elder