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
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
Tangled in my zentangles
And there is no way out
It’s an obsession
It’s hard to stop
So much variety
So many possibilities
All leading to beauty
Unexpected, a surprise
If I write poems
I try to write everyday
If I make collage cups
I keep making them and collecting them
Now that I draw zentsngles
It has becomes a daily affair
Something in the repetition
Is soothing, reassuring
It’s all about art
And art is uplifting
And there is the element of surprise
My work is never planned ahead
So it is that my zentangles
Have tangled me in their web
Dec 30, 2023
They look like writing
Beautiful, soulful, intricate strokes
But this alphabet was created by Lorraine Prichard
Inspired by the Tablets written in the hand writing of the Bab
A Holy soul in the East has influenced a receptive soul in the West
And the result is mesmerizing
Never say, “They are easy to be reproduced”
There is a lot of precise moment, and astonishing artistry involved
And Lorraine does this effortlessly
Black strokes on a large, striking, yellow upside down triangle
White lines on a black rectangular background
And the list goes on
These creations come from a magical place
That we don’t often consider or think about
Nov. 19, 2023
After Lorraine’s studio exhibition
The future is unpredictable
Especially when you have been diagnosed with cancer
There is always the chance of recurrence down the line
But you can’t think like that
You can’t think you are totally healthy either
Because that may not end up being true
So what do I do?
I am healthy right now
Relatively anyway
So I’ll focus on that
And appreciate each day
I am healthy and I’m getting the best treatment possible
So, I’m grateful
And I’m thankful for the lessons I have learned
And what I can share with others
Which will hopefully make a difference
The future is unpredictable
But I will live in the present
And appreciate now!
October 25, 2023
My laughter does not age
There are wrinkles around my mouth
But my laughter still brings joy to others
My love does not age
My heart may show signs of the time elapsed
But my love grows deeper
My writing does not age
My hands are not as smooth as before
But what I write is based on much more experience
My feet and knee hurt sometimes
But my legs carry me to new places every day
My courage grows
My compassion strengthens
And my appreciation increases
My body my age
But my spirit is strong and perhaps more vibrant
September 19, 2023
Not to take life for granted
Not to take health for granted
Not to discount the amazing opportunity that is aging
Not to wait to do what one wants to do
These are the gifts of a disease like cancer
Gratitude for the treatments that are available
Gratitude for the support of friends and family
Gratitude for the strength that comes from the spiritual world
Gratitude for managing another challenge in life
Gratitude for the lessons these challenges teach us
Gratitude for deep conversations I’ve had with friends as a result
Gratitude for the love I feel from so many people
Gratitude for learning to live life purposefully
Gratitude for the warm embrace of friendship
These are the things I’m grateful for
September 12, 2023
He told me he is not religious
But he believes any good thing you do for others comes back to you
Karma, I guess
I thought to myself
I think that’s exactly what being religious is about
Doing good deeds and helping other without wanting a reward
Otherwise, what good comes of being religious?
If religion does not make you a better person
If religion does not teach you to help others
If religion does not tell you about the importance of selflessness
What good is religion?
If you call yourself something but you do something else
You are an imposter
You are just pretending
It doesn’t do you or others any good
If you call yourself a peacock
But act like a chicken
Then, you are a chicken
It’s not about what you call yourself
It’s about how you live your life
July 25th, 2023
Nothing to do
Nowhere to be
No one to see
Quiet surroundings
Only the sound of the birds
Me and my thoughts
Those are the conditions of writing for me
Once a phrase is there
I start and see where it goes
Time is needed
Can’t be rushing all the time
Need to sit for a while with my thoughts
Contemplate
Connect to that deep place in my soul
Where meaning roams
Where emotions dance
Where ideas emerge
In that solemn space
Words appear out of seemingly nowhere
And flow across the page
June 28th, 2023
It would have been better to be executed
Than continue to be in prison under those conditions
It was the early days of the revolution and
Many Baha’is were imprisoned and a number of them were executed
There were no social media back then
No online campaigns
These dark deeds took place
Without the knowledge of others
Only the family of the prisoners and their friends
Would find out their fate after it was too late
Illegal arrests and imprisonments
No lawyers
Sham court proceedings
Torture
Asking the prisoners to recant and be set free
Asking them for money to spare their lives
Unspeakable acts
The prisoners’ only refuge
Their Faith
Their support for each other
Their determination to stand firm
To hear the moaning of other prisoners in pain
To witness the result of the torture of their friends
To be insulted and humiliated
It was easier to be executed and set free of those terrible conditions
But Olya was released
And she did was she promised the others
She told the story of the ten brave women of Shiraz
Now the whole world knows what went on
During those terrible days and
The sacrifices that were made by these pure souls
They were released from this mortal world
And their spirits soared towards their Beloved
Their suffering ended
And they proved their love and devotion
Those were dark days
But the light these souls shine
Will illumine our world forever
June 15, 2023
Inspired by a talk by Olya Roohizadegan
about ten Baha’i women killed in Shiraz in 1983
lida's musings 