A year in review
Of joy and of sorrow
Of cheerful meetings and sad partings
Of laughter and tears
Of excitement and fears
It’s been an eventful year again
Bonds of friendship have been strengthened
And because good friends mean so much to me
It has been an amazing and enriching year
December 31st 2017
We can hide so much
Who we are
How we feel
What we think
We can hide so much
Why do we do that?
Why aren’t we more transparent?
Different reasons
Shame
Others’ judgement
Inability to express ourselves
Staying on the surface
Comparing ourselves with others
Judging ourselves
Fear of criticism
Fear of being different
We can hide so much
And every layer we peel off
We’re one step closer to freedom
Freedom to be who we truly are
We hide so much
And that can hurt us
We use veils for self preservation
But they stop us from feeling authentic
We hide so much
And it’s not necessary
December 20th, 2017
When joy gives me wings to fly
When a kind voice warms my heart
When everything seems right with the world
When I feel blessed despite the trials
I feel grateful
Simply grateful
When a good friend reaches out to me
When what I write brings someone cheer
When people come together in a common cause
When the doors open on every side
I feel grateful
Simply grateful
When it seems my prayers have been heard
When I feel healthy and content
When I can write and contemplate
I feel grateful
Simply grateful
And that’s how I feel as I write these lines
With a heart full of joy and a big bright smile
I’m feeling grateful
Simply grateful
December 17th, 2017
Back to my roots
To where I’m from
I left it long ago
When I was young
Back to my roots
To poetry and art
A place where I did not think
I belonged
Back to my roots
To the city of Shiraz
Where nightingales sing
and jasmine thrives
Back to my roots
Back to the East
Where the sun rises
And the day begins
Back to my roots
To the friends I left
To friends who have
Embraced me once again
Back to my roots
And it feels good
To feel grounded
To feel understood
December 13th, 2017
Alone and lonely
In this icy landscape
Deep in thought
Contemplating the coming of winter
Wondering where my friends went
Only a few weeks ago
We were flying in the blue sky
Singing our songs
Without a care
And now
My surroundings feels like an icy grave
Where did my friends go?
Without them my world is so gray
Joy has disappeared
And the howling of the wind
Like sad music
Reminds me of other desolate times
Where did my friends go?
December 11th, 2017
I feel like I can breathe again
I can laugh easily again
I can be silly again
I can concentrate again
What a relief!
Most times we appreciate things
Once they are gone
A clear head
A brain that thinks like it should seems like a most normal thing
Living without anxiety seems ordinary
Feeling passion and enthusiasm seems like a given to us
But for me, they are not
And like those things there are
Many other things I can take for granted after a while
But our normal selves are anything but ordinary and normal
That normalness can be lost in an instant
During illness
During times of trials
During transitions in life
Then we will long for normal
Just our ordinary, everyday selves
Nothing fancy
Merely the person we used to be
That self that seems like a distant memory
An unattainable state
And so, we keep longing for normal
Just normal
December 10th, 2017
Should I mourn the time lost?
Should I cry over spilt milk?
Should I wonder what if this or that?
Should I think of what could have been?
It’s all water under the bridge
It was what it was
Can’t change a thing
I can dwell on it
I can feel sorry for myself
Or, I can count my blessings
And be happy again
Sometimes I wonder
Why we are so attached to this life
This life that brings us sorrow
And tests and trials
And how does the human spirit overcome?
How does is endure and not break down?
How does joy replace sorrow?
How do we start to laugh once more?
These questions remain unanswered
Most of the time
But I’m sure eventually
We will find out
The veil will fall from our face
We will see clearly
What was vague
But until then
We must sing our song
In this golden cage
We call life
What’s the difference between our interactions online
And those in person
Can’t pretend that the online world does not exist
That’s how we stay in touch with family and friends
Acorss the country and around the world
It’s like letter writing on steroids
The online community is as real as the people who live close to us
We get emotional support from both
We exchange ideas both ways
We bring others cheer both ways
The secret as always is moderation
Anything done to excess is not good
Some limits we need to create for ourselves
No one else can do this for me and you
So the challenge is knowing
When it’s enough
When to stop
When to go offline
I tend to write more when I do
And this poem came to be
Because…
I left my phone accidentally at home
Dec. 5th, 2017
lida's musings 