E is for Efche

Efche is a greek word, which according to Wikipedia literally means The Wish. On the stairs, usually going up to my office; in bed as I'm falling asleep; at my desk when I'm trying to move on to the next task; while driving. Efche while I eat my veggie burger alone. Efche as I wash the dishes, close the blinds.

Fear. I am happy to report, I'm no longer afraid to shift into 5th gear. Perhaps conquering the fear of fifth gear will allow me to use my fear-facing abilities in new more extravagant activities.

What has the practice of efche done for me? In Mountain of Silence Father Maximos describes its doing as: "it will work like a bulldozer which opens up the road, gradually demolishing rocks and pushing dirt away. That is how the [it] works, then the heart works by itself independently of whatever else you do" (Markides 56).

I'm not sure I've endeavored into the land of bulldozers yet, but I do feel a certain light-ness, a certain opening. Perhaps the first breath of whisper.

E is also for elephants because I love them.