Is a wondrous
Part of the human
Art form.
Something we’ve
Been given, entrusted
Into our care, is the power
Of a special order,
One that does grow as
We get bolder, and understand
Ourselves more.
Even as we shoulder
More responsibility,
It is still possible to continue to
Develop our innovative agility.
Beguiled by life, as we
Can sometimes be, it’s
Important for you, and well,
Of course, me, to
Remember,
We are,
And always will be,
First and foremost,
Creative beings.
Do you ever feel like you have so much to say, and there’s just not quite enough time to say it all? Well, I’ve felt like that some this week, so have some new posts coming in the next few weeks, which I’m pretty excited about. Before we get to that, let’s take a look at 2 reflections from writing that occured this week. Alright, here we go.
I had a great time reflecting upon and writing the poem forgiven. It was prompted by the Saturday RagTag Daily prompt, by Punam. The prompt was hugs.
As I reflected upon the concept and actual practice of hugging someone, it occured to me to write about a warm embrace in two ways, which are paradoxically, and not, one way. There is something very special about the contact between two people that occurs in a hug. Magical in fact.
The concept of falling into someone’s arms is about sharing something so special with someone else that in a way in that moment the two become one, and all of life’s complexities, challenges, and even disappointments disappear and are forgiven. Lovely.
I miss hugging people. I look forward to a day when hugging people is something we all do again as a normal everyday practice.
I had an equally fun time reflecting upon and writing the poem Imagine, which was a WDYS prompt from Keep it Alive, by Sadje. As I considered that beautiful tower, I wondered what the tower would think about the state of the world today. I imagined, pun intended, that the tower would long for a day when people would be bustling up and down it’s steel reinforcements, and walking, laughing, and playing at its base.
Of course, as with all things we write about, imagine is also a poem about my reflections about the state of the world. The hope and knowing I hold deep inside that in due time, we will all be in-person together again, walking hand-in-hand, and laughing and playing again like we did not so long ago.
I look forward to that time.
I have several new posts I’ve been working on. Here is a preview.
Of course, I have some new poetry, which I am also excited about. More to come!
Well, last year at this time, we were just about to embark on pivoting 5 educational programs to fully remote. Something we’d never done before, pandemic or not.
And, as we prepare for this Spring Term classes, registration for which begins on Monday, I am filled with such gratitude and appreciation for each person I work with. Their persistence in the face of adversity, determination to never give up, and to always acknowledge our current reality, while creating new ways forward within that reality, is such a treat and joy.
The department has over 120 remote classes, workshops, and training on offer for Spring term, and each term, as I’ve written before, we reach more and more people with opportunities for them to be with other people. This last term, we had students from Europe and all across the US. Super fun.
For a very long time, I did not like asking for help. In fact, I would say that I avoided it at all costs. It was a part of how I was raised. Part of that individualistic mentality that is so pervasive in the US.
However, it is mere confusion at best. Why? Because, as I’ve written about before, the idea that we are independent of other people is an illusion. Simple. We are interdependent, nay, really One.
Therefore, living in an illusion that you are an individual separate from the rest of humanity and the world is a space full of pain and suffering. Seriously, I know. I lived that way for a long time.
When we are aware and realize that we are all interconnected, and that, in fact, all things on this planet are interconnected, the idea of asking for help is much more palatable. In fact, when you take that idea further, and realize that you ask for help everyday without saying the words, the concept of asking for help sort of becomes a part of who you are.
That does not mean, however, that it is easy for everyone. And, in fact, when I am super busy at work, my old pattern will reappear at times, and I have to always keep asking for help present for me. Important.
When we need help, we need to ask for it. Simple. You are not deficient or in any way less efficient or effective when you ask for help. In fact, the paradox is that you are way more effective and efficient when you ask for help. Yep. True.
I have an upcoming article on asking for help, which will come out in a few weeks.
Alright, that’s all for this week.
Stay healthy and well, and have a tremendous week.
Comes from within,
And feels like a magical
Enterprise, one, I do surmise,
Has been within me
For a very long time.
Though hidden
For a spell,
I do often tell
Of a time
Not so long ago,
Where my intuition
Reappeared, and with
It a zest
For the love of
This life.
Not another life,
Full of perceived strife.
It is a common misconception,
Created,
By our over-thinking,
And even conceiving of
A way out
Of what’s right
In front of us, and has
Been from the
start.
And?
In the end,
The thinking is the
Antithesis of what’s needed.
When we’re driven by
Compulsion, we are
Striving for something other
Than ourselves.
Yet, when we are
Guided by that impulsion
We feel on very long nights
Alone
By the fire, and our mind
Does wander, we let it
Because we no longer wonder
What life’s all about.
Nay, all is as it should be,
And, we know this, because
This knowing,
Burns deep in our heart,
So we follow that
Kindred spirit
We call
Our Intuition
I breathe in the
Salted air, without
Any care.
Those have been left
Behind, in the meantime,
The focus is on what’s
Here and now.
The gravely trail,
Soft button, open,
And in some places
Quite frail.
The rocky shore
Splashed and assaulted
Continuously by the oceans
Core.
The gulls flying overhead,
Left their bed,
For their home in the
Air instead.
The people coming and
Going, taking in the
Sights, while the
Mist keeps blowing.
The present moment,
Clear and dear, and,
Yes, we are already
here.
This planet with all
It’s mysterious contemplations,
I often look up from the surface,
And wonder out loud about
The motion of the cosmos’
Manipulations,
In relation to
The ever lasting connection
We share
With all we see up
In the air, if I dare, I just might
Compare
It with the stars hidden
From view, connected all the same
Within you and me.
The connection is quite fair,
And quite frankly beyond compare
Connected from within and without.
All the beauty, no doubt,
Running in the rivers, streams,
And creeks, like the life that flows
Through us, and is
Between us.
The space between also holds
A special place for me.
The dance of the
Unforeseen,
And, quite
Magical
Scene
That holds all the things
Together, just like a string,
Without any fanfare,
Or need of complimentary
Love bared.
Though, I’d suggest
Giving thanks
To all that
We see
Between.
Behold,
A magnificent
Place beyond, and among
The stars, both
Are truly amazing,
And are also
Quite
Giving.
Waves crash on the beach,
Salty mist blows from the west.
Night turns into day.
I feel the sisters approach,
Salt on my tongue, wind in hair.
Driving along the
Coast, a smile
Parts my face,
And my eyes glisten
With tears, as
The grandeur
Of all of this life’s
Most pleasant
Vistas confronts
My every sense, and
Deep inside, at once,
I feel truly blessed.
Dry and arid landscape,
Cracks in the ground bring water.
Seed to stem. Renew.
Photo Credit
You tower above us all,
Just looking up, I feel as
If I might fall.
Now back to the presents call,
Grounded in the known, and,
Yes, sometimes, unknown.
They are, of course,
Different sides of the same
Coin, joined together like all
Pairs of opposites, which, at times,
We imagine as disparate.
A common misnomer, like
Standing in your shadow,
Gazing up at the steel reinforcements,
Which make up your very tall tableau.
I move back to get a better glimpse,
Imagining times past, and all
The people who stood
Right on this spot
Completing
The very
Same
Maneuver. It’s all quite a wondrous
Achievement, and I bet there’s
Been some bereavement,
As you miss the people
At your feet, gazing
Up, and feeling
Transfixed
By your beauty.
Continue to imagine,
As there will be
A day soon,
Though when is not
yet known,
When people will be back
Bustling up and down
You’re steel trellis;
And standing
Where i am
Now,
Gazing up in wonderment
At your towering
Presence, as they
Continue to imagine.
In response to the WDYS #69 prompt from Keep it Alive, by Sadje.
A tender embrace,
Is a special place
For you and me.
I remember the
First time,
Like it was the last time,
Even when I couldn’t see.
Yet, feeling disjointed,
And all the while
Mispointed,
Falling into your arms,
Was something else completely.
A touch so soft, and
At the same time bold,
It never occurred to me
How together, we’d grow old.
I was once told
A tale of togetherness,
Which foretold of all kinds
Of pleasantness,
The likes of which remind
Me of the times amiss,
When hugs were
Given, as both
Of our hearts
Were
Forgiven.
In response to the Saturday Rag Tag Daily Prompt, Hugs, by Punam.
Photo Credit
