Tag Archive | Poetry

Confused

Sep29

I don’t know what’s real anymore!
All these changes in one day
Are not easy to handle

First you change the jam
From strawberry to mixed berry
Now I don’t know what taste to expect
When I make my sandwich with peanut butter and jam

Then you tell me my usual cereal bowl is not clean
And I have to use a different kind
The bowl makes a difference you know…

And finally when I go to brush my teeth at night
I find a new toothpaste
Another new taste in my mouth!

Mom, all these changes have confused me today
My familiar things aren’t there
You know I’m pretty routine oriented
I do everything in the same order each day
And leave the house at exactly the same time
No surprises, no deviations from normal!

So, please don’t change things on me like that
And if you do, please make one change a day
And warn me in advance!

September 29th, 2015

Hiding pain

Sep22

Why do we hide our pain?
Don’t we realize everyone
Experiences hardship and suffering?
Why do we only share our success
And not the challenges we had to overcome?

Why is it difficult to share these things
Things that make us feel vulnerable
Things that reveal who we are?

It takes strength to show vulnerability!
It’s easy to smile and pretend everything
Is fine and it always has been
It takes courage to admit to hardships that
We have experienced
Talking about challenges we’ve had is hard

It’s easy to share what’s on the surface
It’s not easy to reveal what is in the deep
Recesses of our heart
That’s why many of us hide our pain
Keep those emotions deep inside

September 22nd, 2015

Change of plan

Sep7

I had it all planned out
After agonizing search and contemplation
I had settled on a path…
I knew what I was going to do…
I had figured it out…

And then suddenly
Out of nowhere, it happened!
The situation changed
All my plans went out the window
And the door closed in my face

Why?
Why now?
Why this change?

First there was shock and disbelief
There was anger and confusion
My plans, the ones I had ben working on
For so long, had to change

I spent a lot of time in the valley of
Disbelief and shock
Not knowing how to get out

There must be something good
In this new situation that has come my way, I thought
But that thing was hard to find

Yet, gradually, unbeknownst to me
Things were falling into place
Another door had opened and I was
Walking through it unconsciously

It took me a long time to become
Aware of this new path
This new arena I had entered
But overtime I began to see it
I began to understand the wisdom
Of what had happened
A door had closed, but another door
Had opened

Now, I do make plans
But I stay open to what comes my way…

Lida Berghuis
September 7th, 2015

unpaved road

Sep6

Imagine driving on a road and coming to an unpaved section
There is dust, the road is not smooth, and you slow down

There are two options at this point
Either to keep going and put up with the difficulties of the unpaved road
Or to back track a bit and find an alternate paved route

The second option requires effort
Requires searching for a new way
Even recognizing that there is an alternative

The difficulties of life are like unpaved roads
They are an invitation to look at other options
Other ways of thought
Other behaviour
In other words, growth…

But it’s up to us to accept the invitation or not
We also have the choice to continue on the gravel road
And suffer the consequences and complain
About the state of affairs and the unfairness of the situation
All the time not realizing it’s not the situation that
Has to change, it’s us!

Lida Berghuis
September 4th, 2015

Peace of mind

Sep4

If we see someone smiling
It doesn’t mean they have no challenges in life
We have gained wisdom if we can smile
Despite the difficulties of life

I used to wonder how is it possible to be happy
Despite the troubles of life
Then I read: ” Peace of mind is the result of
Not paying attention to challenges that are not
worth thinking about”

So, the problem need not go away
My attitude has to change
The importance I give it has to change
My focus should be on positive things
That way, my problems don’t have power over me

I can complain or I can be content
I can look at the glass as half full or half empty
I can put my focus on things that are going well or not
I can be thankful for the blessings I have or not
I can be optimistic that problems can be resolved or not
I can resign myself to situations I can’t change or not
I can try to learn from the difficult experiences of life or not
And finally, I can create my own peace of mind or not!

Lida Berghuis
September 4th, 2015

Building roads on clouds

Sep1

Generally I like the blue sky
With lots of sun to warm my body and soul
But clouds do come and rain is necessary
To sustain life
Rain also brings the rainbow out

What if instead of sadness at the sight of clouds
I build roads on them and use those roads to
Get to most interesting places

They say if life gives you lemon, make lemonade
So, if life brings gray rainclouds I’ll build roads on them
Roads built from lessons learned
And wisdom gathered so far

And when the sky rains tears of sorrow
I’ll climb the raindrops until I reach the top
Of the clouds and take a look around
Beyond the clouds, there is only sun
The hard work is the climb

But life has provided me with some training
In climbing and building roads so far…
Instead if allowing clouds to bring me down
I’ll climb the rain, and look beyond the clouds
Then build roads and carry on…

Lida Berghuis
September 1st, 2015

Clouds

Aug31

My sunny day became cloudy when I heard the news
How a few words can change one’s day

Some things seem unjust in this world
And yet, they have a wisdom they say

Doesn’t mean sadness cannot visit once in a while
No amount of faith can stop that
We are human after all

But faith does help us move on
And not get stuck in the valley of sadness for long

Sadness is part of life as clouds belong to the sky
But we can be assured that
Eventually, the sun will come out

Lida Berghuis
August 31st, 2015

Tears

Aug27

I don’t like crying, nobody does
Emotions are raw
There is grief involved
Or confusion
Or misunderstanding

My eyes sting
My face contorts in ways
That I don’t want

But I’ve noticed that
After the tears, there is a calm
That overcomes me
Some of the sadness leaves

Suddenly the world is not as harsh
Grief is not as backbreaking
And a glimmer of hope appears

The tears have washed
Some of the sadness away
The dam of emotions has opened
And relieved the pressure the was built up

Tears, like many unpleasant things in life
Lead to clear skies and
The return of the sun…

Lida Berghuis
August 26th, 2015

The journey

Aug26

The journey

Can an outward journey lead to an inward journey?
Can we find what we are looking for outside ourselves?

Sometimes a journey to a land far off awakens a dormant part of us
Helps us see with new eyes and enables us to walk a different walk

Sometimes we need to leave the familiar behind
To be faced with uncertainty and unfamiliarity
To appreciate what we already have

Sometimes hearing others’ point of view
Can make us question our assumptions and make us think
It can make us go deeper in the inward journey

And sometimes to journey inward
One need not go anywhere
One needs to open one’s heart
To look with a searching eye
To listen to unspoken words
To live a conscious life

Sometimes the inward journey happens at home
In familiar surroundings, but unfamiliar territory

Both kinds of journey require a thirst for knowledge
A desire for adventure
and being open to change and growth

The outward journey
If it doesn’t lead to an inward journey
Hasn’t fulfilled its potential
It’s the inward journey that transforms us

Lida Berghuis
August 25th, 2015

Connection

Aug24

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Connecting to others is what life’s about
Life without connections is meaningless
Connection is based on vulnerability
Letting our guard down
Appearing less than perfect
Admitting to not knowing
To uncertainty
To confusion
Asking for help when we fall down
Sharing the hard times

If we let someone into our lives
And confide in them
They will confide in us
But someone has to have the courage
To be the first one

We have all known adversity
But we will only share that with
People whom we feel close to
Those who won’t judge us
Those who will have time for us
Those who will hang around in tough times

These kinds of connections
Only come about if we are open about our ups and downs
And are willing to take off the mask of ‘feeling fine’

August 24th, 2015