Tag Archive | growth

Insight?

Apr30

 

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I wonder what we will think

When we look back at these unusual times

Days of physical isolation

Limited travel

Closed schools

Working from home

Unanswered questions

Worries and fears

 

What will we take away from this experience?

Will we be wiser?

More compassionate?

Will we be less materialistic?

Will we be more thankful for all that we have?

Will we have made new friends and connections?

Will our priorities have changed?

 

When the ground is plowed

The harvest is bountiful

The longer the stew simmers

The more delicious it is

 

Difficulties need to be followed by insight

Otherwise suffering is wasted time

 

April 30th, 2020

Looking for calm

Apr5

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Back and forth
Back and forth
From icon to icon
On my cell phone:
WhatsApp
Instagram
E-mail
News
Facebook
I read
I listen
I contemplate
And repeat…

Too much news?
Too much information?
Too much screen time?
Perhaps

So I put my phone away
Open my notebook
And start to write

Suddenly time slows down
I relax
I don’t have to process so much information
I don’t have to listen to sad news
I can be in my place of calm

The coffee shops are closed
So, the comfortable chair in our bedroom, by the window
Is where I’m writing today
It’s cloudy and
We’re longing for the return of the sun

We’re all doing our best to cope
To stay connected to friends
To avoid getting cabin fever
To do things in new and different ways

Thankful that writing centres me
Thankful that I’m in touch with my friends
Hoping we’ll emerge stronger and wiser
When we’ve made it through these challenging times

April 2nd, 2020

Labyrinth

Feb11

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Life is a labyrinth

We meet people as we navigate it

We walk together for sometime

And for different reasons

We choose different paths

 

We keep walking down this labyrinth

With its wonders, surprises, challenges and all

And one day we suddenly come across an old friend

That we had walked with long ago

 

Such reunions are most wonderful

We have each grown in our own ways in the meantime

But when we meet again

We walk together as if we had never parted way

 

February 11th, 2020

The other side

Dec24

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It’s easier to appreciate the light
When you have spent some time in darkness

It’s easier to prize clarity of mind
If you have struggled with anxiety

It’s easier to know the value of friends
If you go through hard times and they stand by you

Darkness, anxiety, and challenges
Have their purpose in our lives

But sometimes it’s easier to see the value
Once we are on the other side

December 20th, 2019

Separation

May2

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“Separation brings with it burning grief”

The loss of a loved one

A friend moving away

One’s children moving out

These things can cause us immense sadness

 

This is the way of our world

This is how we see things 

If we think of physical separation

 

In the world of the spirit, though

We are close 

We never leave one another

 

I will focus on our spiritual reality

When I feel sad about the loss of a friend

Or their moving away

 

We are always close in spirit

Separation has no meaning

 

May 2nd, 2019

Web of love 2

Feb25

 

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Words and ideas 

Crisscross the world

At the speed of lightening

Words about how we feel

The challenges we’ve had

The insights we’ve gleaned

 

Developing friendships 

Expanding friendships 

That’s what we do

Technology has brought us together 

This was impossible 

Ten years ago

 

We come together daily

Make each other laugh and think

We shower each other with praise

Wash the dust off our spirits

 

We are spinning a web of love

Across the world 

Connecting our hearts

We are helping each other grow 

 

February 23rd, 2019 

The struggle

Jan4

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This is a life of struggle

Struggle of good against evil

Right against wrong

Spiritual versus the material

Light versus darkness

And we will never be free of this struggle

We will never fully arrive

We will never fully conquer our ego

We will falter and fall

We will questions things we hold dear

We will fight external and internal demons

Storms will continue to assail us

Yes, there will be periods of respite

But the next storm is just around the corner

This is not a life of comfort and ease

No matter how materially successful we are

Tests will batter us like powerful waves

Hail will pelt our heads

This is how we grow

This is how we prove ourselves

This is how we show our steadfastness

But struggle we will

And struggle we must

January 3rd, 2019

What I can promise you

Dec30

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I don’t promise you a heartache free life

I do promise or hold your hand when adversity visits

I don’t promise you that you will always be happy

I do promise you that happiness returns

I don’t expect you not to make mistakes

I expect you to learn from your experiences

I don’t expect you to be perfect

I expect you to try your hardest and be kind above all else

Life is not a bed of roses

And even if it were, the thorns are plentiful

To partake of the beauty of the rose

You have to endure the pain of picking it

I have taught you to swim

But it’s you who has to and who can swim

The long distance to the shore of contentment

 

December 29th, 2018

To hell and back

Dec12

 

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It is said to be a poet

You have to go to hell and back

The hell of suffering

The hell of hopelessness

The hell of dreariness

The hell of darkness

Why is that?

Could going to hell and back

Awaken in us emotions which we can then express in poetry?

Could going to hell and back

Teach us the humility that is required

To receive the gift of poetry?

Could going to hell and back

Burn away our impurities?

Could going to hell and back

Make brighter the colours of the world?

Could going to hell and back

Help us mature?

Going to hell and back

Seems and is awful

But if the result is poetry

What a gift

What a gift

 

December 10th, 2018

Lessons learned

Dec4

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Some things in life we learn from our parents

Other things we learn through experience 

Here are a few things that I’ve learned 

 

That we can’t avoid pain in life

There is a place for suffering in our lives

That how we respond to painful situations

Is in our own hands

And that’s what will make the difference

 

That it’s OK to make mistakes

Making mistakes is part of life

And not something to be afraid of

Mistakes should be learning opportunities

Not to be dreaded and feared

 

That self care is important 

It’s as important as being selfless

Without self care we can’t care for others

Without self care we become resentful

Without self care we can crash and burn

 

That it’s important to nurture our creativity

That art counts, poetry counts

Art can be a solace in our lives

Creativity a way to unwind

That art brings beauty into our lives

Helps us heal

Helps us shine

 

December 3rd, 2018