Tag Archive | change

Chaos and order!

Sep4

Order to chaos
Chaos to order
That seems to be the cycle of life!

After chaos, order comes into being
But order can only last so long
Before it’s time to grow again
And chaos arrives to destroy the order that exists
To prepare the way for a new order, and calm!

When one is in one’s comfort zone
Life seems more pleasant of course!
But comfort never leads to growth!

Growth comes from the disorder of struggles
And challenges that may seem insurmountable at times!

Chaos and disorder, not comfortable
Not what we love
But oh, the results can be wonderful
If one persists long enough
And learns the lessons they teach us

The building needs to be destroyed
Before a new one can be built
An old idea must die
Old habits must be let go of
Old patterns replace new ones

Often, it’s after the dust has settled
New lessons learned
New thinking adopted
New habits formed
That one realises what the chaos was for!

What was thought of as misfortune
Can be seen as grace
What was painful
Can give rise to joy!
Illness can lead to clarity
Blocks in the road can lead us to another path

One’s best laid plans can come to naught
What emerges instead though
Can be a marvelous surprise!

Lida Berghuis
September 4th, 2014

The 100th time…

Aug19

Why do I sometimes not listen to my body
And slow down?
Maybe it’s because I’m too stubborn
Too darn stubborn for my own good!

Maybe it’s because slowing down doesn’t seem fun
And I think I want to be ‘productive’!

Maybe it’s because I don’t realise that
The crash is around the corner!

Maybe it’s because slowing down is hard!

Maybe going fast is addictive
Maybe slowing down seems boring
Maybe I’m impatient
Maybe I have trouble sitting still
Maybe my mind goes into over-drive
Maybe … all of the above!

But maybe I shouldn’t be so hard on myself
Change takes time
And as long as I’m striving, it’s all fine

Maybe I will eventually learn to slow down…
Maybe the hundredth time is the charm!

Lida Berghuis
August 18th, 2014

Trouble maker!

Aug17

I thought I was done with breaking the rules
Questioning the norms
Walking down the unbeaten path

I thought those times were over
And I had settled down
Mellowed out

But my nature has not changed
I will never be one to conform!
I won’t be the one who draws within the lines
Follows instructions
Lives the ordinary life!

There are consequences to being different, of course
People will talk
Heads will turn
Whispers can be heard

One can’t stand out and not be noticed
One can’t be loud and not attract attention
One can’t be outside the box and in the box at once!

Here I go again
Marching to the beat of my own drum
Challenging traditional thought
Doing what has not been done!

And where would the fun be
In being ordinary
Doing what is expected
Filling the mould

Change comes from daring to be different
Trying something new
And it seems that’s the path I’ve chosen to live
With the consequences that follow!

Lida Berghuis
August 9th, 2014
Green Acre

The dance of life

Jun12

From the desert sun
To a rainy clime
To a land covered with snow
It seems like I’ve experienced it all

From the restrictions of tradition
To smelling freedom in the air
To being able to express my feelings and thoughts

From a shy girl in Shiraz
Too serious for her age
To gradually opening up
And making laugher a part of my life

From relative ease
To the violent storms of life
Interspersed with sun

From thinking to feeling
From science to art
From hesitation to creativity
From black and white to all the shades
In between in life
It’s been and eventful journey

Sometimes I still feel the insecure
18 year old in me
Many times the need to please
Still overtakes me

Have I changed and grown?
I have!
Have I stayed the same?
I have!

Have I been battered and bruised
I have!
Have I been showered with grace
I have!

And what do I see at this point
In my life
As I look back
As I look forward?

That life’s challenges will always be there
But the sun always comes out from
Behind the clouds

That being in control is an illusion
That change is a constant
That happiness is in appreciating the simple things in life
In helping others
In nurturing our talents
and in drinking deep the beauty of art

From the desert sun
To rain, to snow
I’ve experienced a lot
I’ve started over many times
I’ve laughed
I have cried

What the future brings
Remains to be seen
But I’ll try my best
To remain thankful and content
And greet each day with open arms

Lida Berghuis
June 10th, 2014

Courage!

Nov15

Courage to change
Courage to grow
Courage to see things
From another view point

Courage to learn
Courage to explore
Courage to go where
One has not gone before

Courage to dream
Courage to work toward that dream
Courage to persevere
Endlessly

Courage to get up
When we fall
Courage to learn
And move on

Courage to face our fears
And overcome
Courage to accept that yet again
We may fall

Courage to love
And be loved
Courage to be able to
Stand one’s ground

Courage to be different
Stand out
Courage to say
What others might not

Courage to be in the
Vanguard of change
Courage is needed
If we want change

Lida Berghuis
April 16th
Montreal Shrine

Change

Aug29

Ends are beginnings
Beginnings that will end
So, I welcome the ends
As I do the beginnings
Because therein lies serenity

Seasons change
Routines change
Responsibilities change
Opportunities change
The only constant in life
Seems to be change

Don’t mourn the loss of what was
Too long
Look for opportunity
In what’s to come

The state we are in
Is temporary anyway
It won’t be long
Before it changes again!

Lida Berghuis
August 29th, 2013

On suffering

Apr28

Do we need to suffer to grow?
I think so
Do we want to suffer?
I think not!

Does suffering lead to growth?
It can
What does that depend on?
On us!

Where does that growth come from?
From change
Change in the way we see things
Change in the way we act

How does that change come to be?
From reflection
And a desire to grow

Can suffering break us?
I think it can
Does it have to?
I think not

Is life about suffering?
I don’t think so
Is it about growth?
I’d say yes

Does suffering lead to humility?
I think so
Is there a way around it?
I think not

Can suffering be our friend?
I think so
It depends on us
And how we respond

Am I at peace with the idea of suffering?
I think so
Will I look for it?
I think not!

Lida Berghuis
April 28th, 2012

My part!

Apr14

 

I used to pray and hope for
A letter from God!
With clear instructions
In legible handwriting please!

I used to pray and
And wait for a miracle
Ones that would erase
My problems with ease!

What I failed to realize
Was that prayer was a means
Of empowering me to
Find ways to grow and change
Find new ways of doing things

I assumed that change would happen
On its own
By the grace of God
My role was somehow left out!

I had to learn that
Problem solving starts with me
Examining the way I thought
Acted and lived

I had to learn
That self knowledge
Would lead to understanding
Understanding to doing things differently
And that would lead to healing

Why I left out this crucial part
I don’’t know
Perhaps because it required effort
Perhaps because I didn’’t realize
That in my own hands lay my destiny

I had to learn that
Inner change happens slowly
There are no quick fixes
Nor short cuts
But slowly and over time
The process gathers momentum
And there is no stopping it

I had to learn that
Once I took the first hard step
And saw some success
Taking the second step
Would be easier
And soon I’’d be walking
With much less effort
On the path that leads to
Understanding and healing

I had to learn I couldn’’t
Do all this on my own
That I needed guides
I needed friends
I needed those who would
Support me on the way
To a new understanding

Now I still pray
But I know I also have my role to play

Lida Berghuis
April 14th, 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

being alone

Sep24

Being alone
Meant being alone with my thoughts
And emotions
No one to distract me!

Being alone
Meant being lonely
In a prison without walls

Being alone
Meant feeling all the feelings
I was running away from
The hurt that was unexpressed
The anger that was ignored
The resentments that were pushed under the carpet

No wonder
Being alone
Did not feel good!

All the emotions that I ran from
Needed to be dealt with
Because each time I was alone
They would appear like unwanted guests

To resolve these issues
I needed to have the courage
To change
The assurance that
Change was possible
That I was not a victim of circumstance
That I was the captain of my ship!

And what I learned is that
I needed to be the authentic me
Not the ‘expected’ me!
I needed to speak up and state my needs
I needed to create an environment
That was nurturing
I needed to think different
And therefore act differently
I needed to know
That it’s never too late to grow
Even in my forties!

Lida Berghuis
September 22nd, 2011

old habits

Aug12

Sometimes I hold on to an old habit with dear life!
I don’t question it or wonder why!
And if doubt creeps into my mind
I dismiss it: ‘go away, be gone!’

Then one day, I try something new
Just by chance, or due to someone else’s view
To my surprise, the new way works
It works even better that it should!

Now, I really question my assumptions, my past rules
Why did it take me so long to try something new?
I realize that I have to be open to learning at all times
Old habits can always be replaced by the new

The old way may not be wrong but there may be better ways
I pledge to be open to change
There is no harm in trying a different way
If I don’t like it, I can always go back to my old way

Lida Berghuis
July 4th, 2011