Monthly Archives: March 2021

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on March 22, 2021
Tags: , curtain, , , , , , , , scene, thismoment, treasure   

Curtain

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Sometimes I sit and ponder the scene
Before me, wondering what inspiration will come
Forward. Will it be like a locomotive, quick like lightning,
Gripping my every sense in a dance of majestic bliss enlightening?

Or, will it be like a turtle, slow and methodical, always
Using the logic hidden beneath the scene of this dream?

I never know.

And, sometimes it’s just quiet. Stillness, no thought,
No feeling, just this. This moment, walking through
This world, not a wonder or care in sight. Journeying
Forth, proceeding toward the light, and, yes, at times,
receding in the night.

Yet, always moving.

A dance that’s meant to last for an instant,
especially when considered in relevance
to the length of time that’s hidden.

From view, form a view of all that you want,
And don’t pretend you’re not a savant. We all
Have hidden treasures deep inside. Waiting until
The time is just right to reveal themselves to the light.

Of your knowing, call forth all that’s glowing inside
Of you, my friend. For it is yours alone to take up
When ready. The treasure will wait until you
Call, yet don’t forget to make that last call before

The curtain falls.

#poetry, #curtain, #dreams, #existence, #life, #love, #poem, #poems, #presence, #scene, #thismoment, #treasure

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 8:00 am on March 21, 2021
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,   

A Blogger’s Diary 3/21/21: On Writing, Reflecting, Next Week, and Silence

Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash

This past week, I’ve been reflecting upon, well, the last year. Phew. As businesses begin to open up more here across the country, and the vaccine becomes more and more available, it is interesting to ponder where we’ve come from, where we are, and where we are going.

It’s also interesting to ponder and be present to the need to create time for ourselves away from the chaos, so we can just be; and, be in silence.

Before I get to my reflection on silence, however, let’s have a couple reflections on this past week’s posts, and a look at what next week holds.

Writing

I spent some more time completing the Leadership Series this week, with the final entry on building high-performance teams, which will publish next Saturday. Now that that series is complete, I will turn some of my attention to a new leadership series, Leading from Within.

I also spent some time this week, writing poetry for future posts. It’s fascinating to me to watch people develop, myself, of course, included. When I look at the first poem I wrote several months ago, to the most recent one, there are similarities, yet they are quite different. Iterative development. Fun.

Alright, here are two reflections from this week’s posts.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-1-1.jpg
Image credit; Sonny Mauricio

Dream

The poem Dream was inspired by the WDYS prompt from Keep it Alive, by Sadje.

As I pondered the scenic picture, I reflected upon how we gaze upon nature, and how nature gazes back. It’s all quite lovely. I began with that thought in mind, and then just let the words come. Well, better language would be that the words just came. I don’t have anything to do with the “letting” in this process.

I also reflected upon and played with the concepts of perception, diversity, and the vast ocean of both we have in this lovely world. It is so beautiful to contemplate all that we see within and without, isn’t it? Lovely.

I obviously also played with the concepts of dreaming and reality. For now, I will only say that that is up to the individual. Each of us. What’s a dream to you, and what’s real is for you alone; and, I think it is quite lovely that way.

Photo by Trust “Tru” Katsande on Unsplash

Streams

Ah, the poem Streams was inspired by my childhood in Los Angeles; and, yes, there really was a “river bed” out back. It was the only real river I saw on a regular basis. Know though, that, as kids, we did get to see real streams, yet they were few and far between in the big city in which we lived.

Funnily enough, you don’t actually have to travel far in LA to get to a stream, yet most of the time I spent in water was, as many of you know, at the beach. Love the ocean, always have, always will.

I also played with the concept of existence in this poem. Pointing to a reality only found within. And, lastly I reflected upon dreams and how important it is to have them, tend them well, and to, yes, water them with love and affection. Nurture them, I say, and they will surely manifest for you one day.

Next Week

As was aforementioned, this week, I finished the Leadership Series with a final installment on building high-performance teams. I am amazed, and then not, at how long this series took to complete. Factually, I wanted to write an installment on organizations, yet am going to wait to complete that installment in the Leading from Within series, which I’ve started.

I am also working on new posts on silence, strategic thinking, sleep, and, yep, another post on gardening. Fun.

I’ve also written several more poems this past week, they just came, and am looking forward to sharing those with you in the coming weeks.

I have a lot more ideas, and will let those percolate for a while.

Photo by Octavian Dan on Unsplash

Silence

I wrote a poem once on Silence. Actually it was one of the first poems I wrote when first swept away, quite literally, with ideas, images, and language for the poems that have come since that time.

I had a couple of challenging days this past week, and I’ve never in my life been more grateful for the silence that I get to take part in today. Sitting in silence is such a wonder. It is all at once, empty and full of healing beyond a description that any language can conjure.

Suffice to say, or write, rather, as I have before, that if you find yourself overwhelmed with life, emotions, people, places, or events, try to create some silent time for yourself. Away from everything. For it is in the spaces that we create to be silent where the mysteries of this universe become more clear; and, when there is more clarity, there is more space for you to live and to love.

A wonder.

Have a fantastic week.

#poetry, #abloggersdiary, #blog, #blogger, #blogging, #contemplation, #diary, #dream, #existence, #humandevelopment, #introspection, #leadershipseries, #leadingfromwithin, #losangeles, #mindfulness, #poem, #reality, #silence, #streams, #writing

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on March 20, 2021
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,   

Beauty

I look out over the sea,
as the wind blows
so steadily,

salt mist
surrounds my being
and I lift a finger

in awe of the rapt beauty.

#poetry, #coast, #life, #love, #nature, #ocean, #oregon, #poem, #poems, #sea, #yachats

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 8:00 am on March 20, 2021
Tags: , , , , , ,   

My One Thing Last Saturday: Gardening

Photo by Kateryna Moskalova on Unsplash

Well, as I’ve written about before, last year, just before the pandemic really broke out here locally, I moved to the other side of this small town. And, as I began to get out a bit last summer, I realized that there was a very nice community garden right by a park that I frequented for walks, and at that time, runs.

Though there are many community gardens in Corvallis, I was unsure about securing one for this season. And? I did! I am quite excited.

It’s been a couple of years since I’ve belonged to a community garden. The Willamette Park Community Garden has only been in existence for about 5 years. The people that run the garden are super cool, and the spot I got is also super cool.

Here is a pic of the garden plot after Justin and I did some work this past Saturday.

Corvallis, Oregon 2021

As you can see there are three phases to the plot. The first phase is closest to us in the picture, and is the area that Justin and I worked Saturday. The second phase, which I’ll begin on in about 2 weeks, is covered with cardboard and mulch, and the third phase is just to the right of that, covered for now with only cardboard.

I will likely begin putting seeds and starts in the ground in the first phase this weekend. What veggies, you ask? Good questions. Here is an example of a planting schedule for this area.

Corvallis, OR 2021

It’s always interesting to visualize what the garden might look like in three months. I definitely have a vision of it with walkways and veggie sections coordinated by their growing season. Fun.

Here is a garden plot template, which is kind of fun.

There are many vegetables and spices I enjoy that are not on this template, yet it does give you an idea of how you can organize a garden space.

Alright, that was my one thing last Saturday. Getting my garden plot ready to plant.

I already have an idea for another installment of My One Thing. Remember the guitar I bought? Well, I can now play 6 or 7 chords, and can also play the intro to one of my new favorite songs. Yes, super fun!

#communitygarden, #flowers, #garden, #gardening, #herbs, #myonething, #vegetables

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on March 19, 2021
Tags: , , , , , , , ,   

Within

Photo by NASA on Unsplash

Waiting at the door, it’s time, and
Yet not to floor us from the task at hand
It’s reminiscent of your kith and kins land.

A time before, as we glance within the store,
Lookin back, what do we see, only mist opportunities,
And misery. Now reflecting upon the days ahead, knowing
Deep inside your plays are now well best and said.

At this moment you know what’s to do. Wait no more,
Will you? Burning fire bright, just like that neon light,
Is your inner core of sudden sight, and withstanding
Celebratory delight.

The time of waiting is over you see, for all you’ve ever
Needed was/is within thee.

#poetry, #humanity, #introspection, #intuition, #life, #love, #poem, #poems, #within

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on March 18, 2021
Tags: , , , , , , , , , salmon,   

Haiku #13

fast flowing river,
salmon swim upstream as one,
time of struggle, home.

Photo by Tobias Negele on Unsplash

Photo Credit

#poetry, #haiku, #home, #life, #love, #nature, #ocean, #poem, #river, #salmon, #stream

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on March 17, 2021
Tags: , , , , , , , ,   

Streams

Photo by Popescu Andrei Alexandru on Unsplash

Are just like a dream to me,
Growing up in a concrete jungle, as
They say, the only stream I ever did see,
Was out back, and was impinged
On both sides by concrete, a river bed
Was its name and call to fame.

I often contemplate this impingement,
On one side and the other, just like a troubadour
With notes on the left, and verse on the right,
Making them sing together just right.

Or, the human condition, in general, what we
See outside in plain sight, and the knowing we
Have inside, insight, into our existence,
as we continue with such persistence and
effort into our subsistence.

Dream more, I say, for it’s inside the dreams
We weave, that our futures are sown with seeds.
Water, and tend them well, and they will surely
Turn into streams.

#poetry, #dreams, #existence, #life, #love, #nature, #poem, #poems, #streams

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on March 16, 2021
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , wdys#73   

Dream

Image credit; Sonny Mauricio

Looking down upon the ground,
Wondering what they see and think,
as they look up, astounded and always
Somewhat confounded, yet too also grounded.

What do you see, when you look at me?

Regalness on the branch, an image of
Perfection at life’s perception. Varied and diverse,
Reminiscent of a multiverse.

Lands distant in geography make up through
A shared heart topography. A deep connection, which
Dissolves the space between, in one earthly scene.

What do you see, when you look up at me?

A mirror of humanity, in eyes so clear and golden,
We all feel quite beholden. The proximity to this
Majesty, makes me tremble in awe of reality.

A metaphor for what’s come before, as presence is
All I really see within me. You, me, and that tree,
Are three, whirling through space and time.

Oh, what a lovely dream.

In response to the WDYS #73 prompt from Keep it Alive, by Sadje.

#poetry, #beauty, #connection, #dream, #life, #love, #nature, #poem, #poems, #presence, #reality, #wdys73

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on March 15, 2021
Tags: , , , , interconnectedness, , , one step, ,   

One Step

Photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash

One step in front of the other,
Sometimes I ask myself why I bother,
Yet there is a knowing deep down, which
Always keeps me centered and growing.

Inside of this growing, there is pain, yes,
And, at times, even a timidness that shys
Away on certain days, and wants to away stray.

Yet, with the knowing, there is also a special
Place inside of me, and, yes, you, where something
Grander resides, and keeps us safe besides the pain
That may come our way, so keep stepping into the play.

One step is all you need to take. Once one
Is taken, you can feel the dirt beneath your feet
And realize your connectedness to a sharedness
That radiates through the earth, and each of us.

An interconnectedness that comes through
You and your entire being as you continue
To take one step toward your future seeing.

#poetry, #earth, #growing, #humanity, #interconnectedness, #life, #love, #one-step, #poem, #resilience

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 8:00 am on March 14, 2021
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , sleepingpatterns, , ,   

A Blogger’s Diary 3/14/21: 2 Writing Reflections, Gardening, and Sleep

Photo by Eugene Chystiakov on Unsplash

I am pleased to report, we’ve had some lovely sunny weather the past few days. It’s been beautiful, and has warmed up 10 or so degrees.

In this part of the United States, March is typically the month where the weather begins to shift. While we will still have much more rain to come in March and April, we will continue to get more sun as we all progress towards spring.

I’ll have some more about the weather and my activities related to sunny weather in a moment. First, let’s have a couple writing reflections for this week.

Photo by Faye Cornish on Unsplash

2 Writing Reflections

A Reason

The poem A Reason occurred to me as I was reflecting upon my time at University. I went to school to pursue, at first, Sociology, and then later, Human Development and Family Studies. While my undergraduate degree, at 33 years old, was difficult, my graduate degree, starting at 38 and finishing at 42, was extremely difficult. The difference?

Why was graduate school so challenging? It all had to do with how I was thinking at that time. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I had fallen into a very negative and cynical interior dialogue with myself, that I didn’t know how to escape.

In fact, I wouldn’t fully “escape” this negative self-talk until completing my degree and coming to work at the community college, which I’ve written a little about in other posts.

At the time my negative self-talk was at its pinnacle, I was always searching for a reason, yet I was all the while looking in the wrong direction. Focusing outside of myself, instead of within. It’s not a demerit, it happened just as it was supposed to, just like me typing this blog post right now.

Yet, at the time, I didn’t know how to be in touch with myself, and it would take me several years, slowly, to learn through the guidance of my life coach. The point?

We all have negative self-talk. It’s not who you are. Your thoughts and feelings are not who you are. And, when we search in the right place for a reason, we will find a well that never runs dry.

Photo by Zac Durant on Unsplash

A Developmental Moment #6: Why Learning to Ask for Help is Necessary and Needed

I enjoyed writing, A Developmental Moment #6: Why Learning to Ask for Help is Necessary and Needed, most, because I spent many, many, years, my entire adult life, in fact, never asking for help. Not because, mind, I didn’t want to, rather because I didn’t know how. Further, I imagined that asking for help was in some way making me appear weak, and in some way deficient.

I think this type of thinking is especially prevalent in the United States, where the concept of individualism is so ingrained into all aspects of the country’s social institutions. The issue?

The concept of individualism is just that; a concept. It is illusory, as I’ve written about in other posts. Whether we actually ask for help, or not, we are always being helped by others. At the grocery store, gas station, coffee shop, or wherever you like to go. There is always someone there serving. Being of service. And, we are able to get the things we need, or want, because people are serving. Simple.

We can all learn to ask for help. Like all things in life, it takes practice, which I write about in this post. Starting small, and building from there. Next time you are feeling stressed, and know you are in need of help, ask. Ask someone that is close to you to assist you. There’s no demerit in it, and we are not deficient when we ask for help.

It’s the opposite. Asking for help is courageous, a sign of strength, and very wise.

Photo by Paige Cody on Unsplash

Gardening

Alright, now that we are in March, it’s time to, if you garden, to get seeds and garden plots ready. Well, as I’ve mentioned before, I moved to the other side of Corvallis a year ago now, and there is a lovely community garden about a mile from my place. And?

Well, I called Parks and Recreation last week, which runs the garden, and they had a spot! It’s 10’x20′, which admittedly is a little more space than I was looking for, however, I took it, and am very excited. I’ve not participated in a community garden in about 4 years, and am looking forward to gardening, yes please, and am also looking forward to meeting some new people. Also, yes please.

I am already working on a new post about my gardening experience, which I will be publishing in the next week or two.

Photo by Cris Saur on Unsplash

Sleep

I’m going to leave you this week, with the Monday message going out to the team tomorrow. Sleep is so important, as is understanding that when our sleep patterns iterate, like all things in life tend to, to listen to our bodies, and know that nothing in this world stays the same, even when we think it does. Here is the message.

This past year, I’ve been reflecting upon and experiencing new sleeping patterns. I’ve typically been the person that likes to stay up late into the evening. Well, about two years ago, this pattern began to change, and then? 

In the past year, my sleeping patterns have iterated a couple of times more. Beginning with, as I’ve mentioned to many of you, late afternoon, and early evening, at times, naps. And, now?

Now, the naps are not as present, yet going to bed at a much earlier hour is, as is getting up much earlier. The point?

There is no one way that sleeping occurs; and, actually, there is no one way anything occurs. Life iterates over time, and when we are present to new things, sleeping patterns, eating habits, whatever they may be for us, we have an opportunity, through new experiences, to learn more about who we are as human beings.

I invite you to always listen to your body, and when you are tired, to sleep; hungry, to eat. And, when not, well, to not.

Remember, there is no one way that life occurs on this planet. When we make sure to get our quiet time, as we’ve discussed the past couple of months, we can hear more, learn more, experience more, and be more.

Alright, that’s all for this week.

Have a wonderful week everyone.

#poetry, #areason, #askingforhelp, #blog, #blogger, #bloggers-diary, #blogging, #change, #courage, #development, #gardening, #poem, #sleepingpatterns, #spring, #strength, #wisdom