Me time

Aug28

As I sit down with my coffee

I review the items on my to do list in my head

To see what I have done and what’s left

-organize basement (a multi-day activity)

-water flowers

-go to the pharmacy

-buy batteries for the bathroom scale

-Make an agenda for an upcoming meeting

-grocery shopping

-preparing dinner

…..

But sometimes the to do list 

Needs to be modified 

And ‘me time’ added to the top

Time do do what makes me happy 

Time to replenish my energy

Time to be creative 

And I chose to do that right now

There are many things I must do 

Some urgent, some less so

But now I chose to take care of myself

So I will be refreshed 

And able to do what must be done

August 14, 2024

My Thing

Aug28

I’m good at doing things that don’t make money

Volunteering is my thing

In the kids’ schools when they were little 

In Holland the year after we got married

The Baha’i community got most of my attention

From organizing children’s classes

To being the editor of the Montreal newsletter

To organizing an English corner for new Chinese immigrants

To coordinating the volunteers for the Shrine in Montreal 

My books are something else I do out of love 

It’s certainly not to make money 

But when my writing touches someone’s soul

It’s better than all the money in the world 

Raising my kids was unpaid labour too 

One I am very happy to have devoted my time to

Perhaps what is important is the result of our labours 

And how they help others 

Rather than what we earn 

Volunteering is its own reward 

August 28, 2024

People person

Mar11

People give me energy 

I need to be out and about

A solitary life is not for me 

I would wither, I would not be fine 

My smile is usually returned with a smile 

I was not happy when we were wearing masks

How were people supposed to see my smile?

How could I communicate with them without words?

Being with people is like walking in the sun

Everything is brighter

It’s easier to smile 

I guess I’m a people person 

And I always will be 

It must be hard to believe 

I was shy as a teen

March 11, 2024

why I write

Feb28

When I feel something is not right 

When I miss my smile 

When things don’t seem exciting 

When there is a yearning in my heart

I draw or I write 

When I miss the sunshine 

Because it’s been raining all day 

When I need a pick me up

Any time of day

I draw or I write 

When I draw or write

I’m in another world

My focus is on the paper

And the thoughts in my head

It’s a magical time 

And when the poem is done 

When the drawing is finished 

I feel uplifted and I want to smile 

What is this magic? 

The act of creation?

Why does it cheer me up? 

Isn’t creating beauty therapeutic after all?

I don’t know the answers to these questions

And that’s fine 

All I know is that I will be writing and drawing

For the rest of my life 

February 28th, 2024

The secret

Feb23

What is the secret?

Saying good bye to perfectionism

Being able to be vulnerable 

And share your shortcomings or problems

Not being afraid of being judged

With that comes freedom

Freedom to be who you really are 

Freedom to break the heavy masks of pretention

With that comes serenity, peacefulness

With that comes feeling light, having nothing to hide 

With that comes authentic friendships which bring you joy

This is the secret

February 23, 2024

Reborn

Feb14

We are reborn many times in life

After a serious illness

After surviving hopelessness

After recovering from the challenges of life

Marriage can be a rebirth

Allowing yourself to be more of who you are

Becoming a mother is a rebirth

Into a world where mothering will dominate for a long time 

Achieving your dreams can be a rebirth

Arriving at the shore of what you have strived for 

In the same manner, death is a rebirth

Being born into the world of spirit

The essential part of who we are

A glorious spiritual world awaits us

This is the most important rebirth of our lives

February 14, 2024

To write or to draw

Feb13

 


To write or to draw?
It shouldn’t be a choice
But there are only so many hours in the day
And when something is new
I want to pay the most attention to it
So, I draw in the morning
Sometimes I draw at night
That blank page is so inviting
The possibilities endless
It’s the imagination’s playground
Who knows what I can create
Black and white or colour?
Inspired by something I see on the internet or something within myself
The process is exciting and relaxing at the same time
Exciting to create and see the final result
Relaxing to doodle and draw lines
I’m thankful for the inspiration to write and to draw


Feb 13, 2024

A fork in the road

Jan25

In taking the road less traveled

Risk is involved 

The path is unknown

The result uncertain

Who chooses this path?

Someone who longs for adventure

Someone who does not color within the lines

Someone who doesn’t need to be right every time 

Someone who has faith

Someone who is curious

The road less traveled can have many rewards

For the one dares to go where many others have not 

Jan 22, 2024

TV on mute

Jan25

Watching TV on mute 

Does anyone else do that? 

A couple of people in my family do 

I guess you have to be a visual person

Not to need the audio so much 

Sometimes over breakfast 

The TV is on and a cooking show is in progress  

And we make comments as we watch

-That is a huge steak she is cooking

-It could feed fifteen people

-I don’t like steak 

-Look like it’s medium rare

-Not quite cooked inside 

-Oh, now she is cutting thin slices to make a sandwich

-The sub style sandwich is so big

-What size mouth do you need to eat that?

-I don’t like chewing my meet for so long

The lady keeps smiling 

And moving her lips

And we have no idea what she is saying 

But we get the general idea 

By the way most of those comments were made by me

When there is no audio, I add mine 

January 25, 2024

Tests of life

Jan19

It’s during challenging times that we can show who we are

How strong we can be

How resilient we are

Captaining a ship in calm waters

Can be done easily

The skilled captain can guide ships during stormy times

When we face illness and suffering in our lives

How we copes demonstrates who we are

Can we be content during the challenges of life?

Can we be magnanimous and continue to serve and create?

Athletes prepare themselves for competition 

We need to prepare ourselves for the tests of life 

January 19, 2024