the instant when love begins

Lucy and I got married (for the second time!) three months ago today, on January 25. At our wedding, this wonderful and classic Mary Oliver poem was one of our readings, and as it turns out I haven't posted it before—which is kind of wild, but I could post nothing but Mary Oliver poems for the next five to ten years and never run out or repeat anything because there are so many and they are all perfect! Anyway, this is an important one. And as almost always with Mary Oliver, I try to live with this one in my heart.

If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy,
don't hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty
of lives and whole towns destroyed or about
to be. We are not wise, and not very often
kind. And much can never be redeemed.
Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this
is its way of fighting back, that sometimes
something happens better than all the riches
or power in the world. It could be anything,
but very likely you notice it in the instant
when love begins. Anyway, that's often the
case. Anyway, whatever it is, don't be afraid
of its plenty. Joy is not made to be a crumb.

—Mary Oliver (1935-2019), "Don't Hesitate," from Swan (2010).