Shake the Dust

You may not know this about me; I love spoken poetry. Anyone who has perfected this craft is a musician without a melody, but a musician, nonetheless. The desire to tell a story with words, the cadence and rhythm, the natural crescendos and decrescendos, and the moments of silent pause all mimic a musical composition. Listening to a good spoken poet is like melting into an old familiar song. 

One of my favorite spoken poets is Anis Mogjani and his performance of Shake the Dust is well worth your time. For me, the phrase “shake the dust” is incredibly powerful. These three simple words can be traced back a few thousand years and they are found within several religious texts. The phrase originated as a way to talk about how to leave a city or a group of people who did not welcome you. It was suggested that when you left a place where you were unwelcomed, you should shake the dust from your sandals to prevent bringing any part of that negative experience home with you. In modern times, we might say you should “wash your hands of it,” but the fundamental concept remains the same; there are some things we need to let go of.

As we transition into yet another new year, I once again find myself struggling with the volume of people who are off and running toward something shiny and new. Don’t get me wrong, I believe it is good to have clear intentions and to purposefully build the life you want for yourself. However, I often see people aiming for the next new thing when they have failed to set down the current old thing. To embrace the new, we must shake the dust of the old.

The fact that the word dust was emphasized is a clear message that the smallest of things can trip us up. We might be tempted to think that a little dust is no big deal, but it is. Have you ever tried to walk on a dusty tile floor? It’s a difficult thing to do. The soles of your shoes can’t get traction on the floor and if you aren’t careful, the dust will pull your feet right out from under you. The same is true in life. When we fail to shake the dust of our lives, our souls, much like those of our shoes, can’t find the traction we need to stand for what we believe in and confidently move forward.

But shaking the dust requires intentionality. You must stop, sit down, take off your sandals, and pound the dust off them. The brink of the new year is inviting us to embrace the same process. Before you run into 2022 with the best of intentions, give yourself the space to stop, and sit, and metaphorically remove your shoes and blast away all the old things you want to leave behind. You may be thinking, “New Year! New Me!” but not if you won’t shake the dust. There is no need to bring the dust of the old year into the new year.

And my favorite spoken poet, Anis Mogjani, says this, “Make my words worth it … Breathe it in. Let it crash through the halls of your arms, like the millions of years and millions of poets that course like blood, pumping and pushing, making you live, shaking the dust, so when the world knocks at your door, turn the knob and open on up, and run into its big hands, with open arms.”

2022 is standing before you with arms wide open. The invitation is clear; it’s time to shake the dust so you can run full speed ahead into the world you want to create.

Set down the old, so you can pick up the new.

Shake the dust.

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