“Start close in,
don’t take
the second step
or the third,
start with the first
thing
close in,
the step
you don’t want to take.
Start with
the ground
you know,
the pale ground
beneath your feet,
your own
way to begin
the conversation.
Start with your own
question,
give up on other
people’s questions,
don’t let them
smother something
simple.
To hear
another’s voice,
follow
your own voice,
wait until
that voice
becomes an
intimate
private ear
that can
really listen
to another.
Start right now
take a small step
you can call your own
don’t follow
someone else’s
heroics, be humble
and focused,
start close in,
don’t mistake
that other
for your own.
Start close in,
don’t take
the second step
or the third,
start with the first
thing
close in,
the step
you don’t want to take.”
~ David Whyte in River Flow
New & Selected Poems
Many Rivers Press
Dr Bill Wooten 
I have seen this poem before, perhaps it was one of your earlier posts, but always worth a second look. The painting is rather wonderful too, the subtle wash of colours a perfect background for the stately gentleman, his posture bringing an elegance and somehow the benefit of wisdom gained, perhaps from starting close in. Thank you for a very grounding post today.