Ask Baba Yaga: Am I Insatiable?

Dear Baba Yaga,

I’ve been in pursuit of a career, a boyfriend, a steady bank account, and a nice apartment in the city for years and years. Now that I’m within reach of those things, I worry that I got it wrong, that I am insatiable. How do I sit still and take pleasure in the here and now?

BABA YAGA:

Not every creature can be still. Yr running after meaty prey is what keeps you alive, & yr muscles are fine & silky with pursuit. Only, how long since you listened to yr sinews, felt the blood holding the creature of you alive? Yr claws, which have done so much hunting — how particular their gnarl, which you have long forgotten to see. Yr vision, long seeking for you, is possible through the curious globes of yr eyes. There is no here & now. There is only yr body, which listens to the earth as best it can. Listen to the wonder of that body & you will hear the earth better.

Previously: How Can I Help My Summertime Depression?

Taisia Kitaiskaia is a poet and writer living in Austin. She’s taking questions on behalf of Baba Yaga at askbabayaga [at] gmail.com.