Measuring by Degrees

We measure by all sorts of degrees.
It’s 3º here on this January morning,
while it’s 83º where you are today.
You have a fancy degree, a PhD,
while I only have a bachelor’s.

We have sliding scales
for everything,
and analyze how we are doing
in units of comparison.

We assess our days
by completed to-do lists,
scrutinizing the percentage
of our goals met.
How productive were we?
How did we rank in the
hierarchy of expectations?

Maybe we should calibrate instead
regarding how inspired and creative,
how compassionate and caring,
how faithful and flexible and focused,
how ethical and full of equanimity
we have been. More than yesterday?
Where are we in the range of that
accounting system?

And how present are you?
That’s the true pulse
governing our life,
along with our
worthy choices
in every heartbeat.

Let’s approach our days
relative to how increasingly
attentive we are to what’s
directly in front of us
in each now,
for doing that well
determines our level
of realized marvelousness,
and is a gauge worth
evaluating, serving, and guiding
to the ultimate crescendo.

by Polly Castor
1/17/2022