My soul is in another world
It has flown away on the wings of joy
How do I go on with daily tasks
With my head in the clouds?
Don’t want to come down from this blessed place
To which I have been transported by love
My soul is in another world
It has flown away on the wings of joy
My hands miss the paper I write on
My heart misses expressing its feelings and thoughts
Where has my creativity gone?
There is some colour in my life from time to time
But shades of grey dominate
I want to leave these dreary colours behind
And so I write!
I write to feel like me again
I write to feel free again
I write to feel joy again
I write to be me again!
Lida Berghuis
April 8th, 2015
We charge our phone battery diligently
But sometimes we forget to recharge our own!
I guess the phone batter warns us
50%… 40%… 25%…
Whereas our mental and emotional battery
Does not have a gauge
Often we wait till it’s too late…
In absence of a gauge
And because we often don’t pay attention
To the signs of tiredness and fatigue
It’s best to recharge regularly, every day
And not wait
Sometimes we feel guilty
Paying attention to our own needs
It feels selfish
But if we don’t take care of ourselves and crash
No one will be better off
If we don’t take care of ourselves
We may feel resentful
And do things half-heartedly
Whereas when our batteries are full
What we do will be done whole heartedly
In a world that seems to be spinning
Faster and faster
Slowing down and paying attention to
What gives us energy
Is harder than before
I’ve learned these lessons the hard way
I’ve ran out of battery many times
But sometimes it takes a fall
To make us pay attention to the path we’re on!
“Vulnerability is the birth place of love, creativity
joy, and belonging”
One has to risk rejection to find love
One has to be open to trying something new and untested to be creative
One has to have known sorrow to know joy
One has to share one’s weaknesses to be welcomed into an authentic relationship
It’s easy to show our happy, together, confident, optimistic side
It takes courage to show our pain, sorrow, insecurities, and doubts
It’s easy to play it safe, afraid of making a mistake
It takes courage to take a leap of faith
It’s easy to decide when the outcome is clear
It’s more difficult to accept the uncertainties of life
I used to want a letter from God
telling me which way to go and what option to choose
I know now that growth comes from making the best decision with the information I have
Knowing that it may not lead me to the desired destination right away
But that eventually I’ll find my way
Life is not a straight line
It’s a jagged line
Or perhaps it’s a meandering river
Going to the right or left sometimes
But all the way adjusting its course to reach the ocean
And the way to accept this perceived imperfection in our path
Is to realize that in any case, we are worthy of love!
Lida Berghuis
December 16th, 2014
*Brene Brown
“One drop of kindness makes the ocean sweet”
Kindness is love
Kindness is being other-oriented
Kindness is gentleness
Kindness is the warmth of someone’s heart
Kindness requires effort
Requires that we pay attention to someone else
Kindness is the absence of ego, being self-centred
Kindness is encouraging words that bring others joy
Kindness says I see you
I care for you
Kindness says I’ll make time for you!
Kindness gives comfort
Kindness listens with care
Kindness is silent when someone makes a mistake
Kindness does not judge, does not compare
Kindness brings joy
Kindness makes one smile
Kindness is a balm for an injured heart!
Lida Berghuis
November 10th, 2014
*-Rumi
We are super-connected
Yet, so disconnected at times
We have the technology
But to transform the world we live in
We need to add heart!
Because when hearts connect
There’s nothing that can’t be done!
We have the World Wide Web and the Cloud
We are connected to each other 24 hours a day
But the connection that we need
To change the world we live in
Is super low-tech!
This connection can be made with a smile
A shared moment of joy
It can be made with an eye contact
That acknowledges the other person
This connection is made by feeling the pain of someone who is in distress
Someone who needs a helping hand
And listening ear
For this connection, all one needs is love
A sense of belonging to the whole and
Being responsible for the welfare of all
So, as we get better connected technologically each day
Lets not forget this most important connection
Lida Berghuis
October 12th, 2014
Inspired by:
Reimaging the world From scarcity to prosperity
Eliane Ubalijoro | TEDxConcordia
Are you fearful of getting older?
Not if I’m learning my lessons as I go
Not if I’m contributing to other people’s joy
Not if I’m doing something useful!
Are you fearful of getting older?
Not if I can look at the world with wiser eyes
A more compassionate heart
A twinkle in my eyes
Are you afraid of getting older?
No, since my spirit does not age
My laughter does not get old
My smile is as young as ever!
Yes, my body may not heal as fast as before
But perhaps my spirit can heal faster
There are wrinkles here and there
But why look down on wrinkles
They are the sign of a life well-lived!
So, let’s not fear aging
Let’s celebrate a life well-lived!
Lida Berghuis
October 6th, 2014
Where are you on the sound cloud, I asked a friend
The sound cloud…
The cloud that sings
The cloud that soothes the soul
The cloud that inspires and energises
A magical cloud!
The sound cloud
A place I should visit more often
To feed my soul
To feel joyful!
The sound cloud!
My favourite kind of cloud
No rain comes from this cloud
No gloomy weather accompanies it
This cloud rains emotions
Happy emotions, sad emotions
Genuine emotions, powerful emotions
This cloud does not block the sun
It opens the gates to serenity and calm
The sound cloud
My favourite cloud
I should go there more often
To console my sometimes weary soul
Lida Berghuis
September 14th, 2014
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
Dependence is not a dirty word!
Independence is not the be-all and end-all!
We live in a fragmented world
The nuclear family has taken the place
Of the extended family
The elderly are placed in ‘homes’
Children leave the nest and sometimes
Settle in other cities and countries and
Their children grow up
Without the love and attention of their grandparents
Our communities are fragmented too
Neighbours talk to neighbours
But only sometimes
Neighbours help neighbours
But only sometimes
We have forgotten how to ask for help
Thinking we should be able to manage on our own
Thinking that asking for help is a sign of weakness
A sign of lack of independence
Not realising that when we ask someone for help
They can come to us for help when they need it
Not realising that when we ask someone for help
It’s a gift to them as well
We are giving them an opportunity to be of service
And that intimate friendships are based on mutual support
And mutual assistance
We have forgotten that it’s through mutual support
That we can accomplish great things
We value independence and have forgotten
How dependent we are on each other!
For me, it’s good-bye to independence
Hello to mutual support and intimate friendships!
Good-bye to trying to do everything on my own
Hello to building a support network!
Good bye to going it alone
Hello to reaching out and drawing others
Into the circle of my friends!
Good bye to loneliness
Hello to building community!
Good bye to fear
Hello to hope!
Together we are stronger!
Together we are happier!
Together we can accomplish more!
Lida Berghuis
August 31st, 2014
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