Mountains in the distance,
at times,
it’s how it feels when
we are apart,
not living in this instance.
I look out over the rippling
blue water
waving at me,
shimmering in the partial sun
on a day
that is mostly gone.
And, I feel quiet inside,
as I consider
the measure of our commonness,
and smile in the knowing,
that we
will harness more
time, as needed,
as we prepare
for the next confidence
of our
collective consciousness.
In response to the WDYS #83 prompt from Keep it Alive, by Sadje.
Surpassing
the grandstand,
I withstand the pull,
as my heart
continues to fill
with
an effervescent joy
at all that is employed,
by the gentle touch of a stranger
helping another, who finds themselves
in a little bit of trouble.
Looking into their eyes,
cascading ripples
of love are seen
moving from one to
another
as the realization dawns
that the stranger is our brother.
Mistaken,
we are not, as the soul
we see
is a mere reflection of the
We.
Take heart then,
and don’t fall apart. Rather,
withstand the pull
of another’s desire, and lend
a helping hand
when you can.
Transfigured
and transformed
like a star
that’s met its last
act of resistance,
and takes the
final curtain call.
We
move through the world
with hopes and desires,
fed by the
gravity of tomorrow.
Pulled into it,
we dance alongside
the wheel of time,
as it turns, and
witness a mirage
and a beauty,
which is one of a kind.
A simple caress
from the morrow,
beckons us
with a will borrowed
and called
forth upon its own sorrow.
And, then?
At destinies chance,
we glance back
and thank
the helping hand
guiding us,
just like all the rest.
Journey with me, if you will, a trip
down an unknown street, and into an
unknown land filled with mystery and confusion,
it is a gift of life’s perfusion.
In one hand we can hold, if we are so bold,
this conundrum. A hidden balance, scales
moving back and forth in a dance that requires
special attention to see it’s worn out portension.
It’s like that often, and yet, most can only
hold the one view, a blow to soften.
The myriad of challenges and disappointments
that are part of the movement, seen and unseen,
just like in a dream. How do we then find our preen?
Practice makes the dance more noticeable
to the senses, yes, and also to the part of ourselves
that creates balance between
sensibility and our inner tranquility.
There is much that can be learned from within,
if we learn to quiet our mind, and sit in stillness,
thus becoming a silent witness.
This past week, I’ve been reflecting upon connection. How we are all connected to each other, yes, and to everything else we see. All of it. Quite beautiful.
Before I write more about connection, let’s take a look at a couple reflections from this past week, and a few ideas I have for next week. Sound good? Okay, here we go.
This past week, I’ve continued to write quite a bit of poetry. It just happens like that sometimes; and, of late, there’s been much more poetry within me. Fun.
The Tanka #9 poem, occurred to me one day after meditation. Well, in fact, the concepts found in the poem occur to me all the time these days. That is, existence, and the connection we all have to each other and all that surrounds us.
We have the idea that we are separate, due to socialization and the creation of the ego-self. The separateness we feel, however, is illusory. Not real. Reality lives behind and beyond the concepts we hold of ourselves and all that we see. Beautiful.
The poem Heed, is a reflection, in part, on my sensitivity; which I’ve written about before, in the post, The Paradox and Gift of Being A Highly Sensitive Person: Clear and Strong, Not Hurt and Damaged.
I didn’t understand my own sensitivity for most of my life. In fact, my sensitivity was something I ran from in many ways. When you are a highly sensitive person and unaware, the world feels more frightening and incomprehensible. The paradox?
When you are a highly sensitive person and aware, the world feels more, well, like you, beautiful, strong, and very comprehensible. Being a highly sensitive person is a true gift.
Well, in my diary entry last week, I wrote about being on the waitlist for the vaccine; and, I now have an appointment next Friday, which means I will be fully vaccinated by early May.
Now, as many of you know, my whole family lives in Los Angeles, California, where I lived the majority of my life; and, I have a niece graduating from high school this year. The question? Yep, you guessed it; do I travel? Not sure? Me either.
Instead of thinking about the choice, I looked at flights, and found that the quarantine policy for traveling into LA County is still in place, which means that when you are traveling into the County from out of state you must quarantine for 10 days.
I could not find a single resource on the flight booking site, nor on the CDC website about traveling once fully vaccinated. So? I called the LA County Public Health Department. The person that answered the phone was super nice, and, to my question, replied, that’s a good question. They didn’t know the answer either.
The LA County employee that helped me is going to do some research and call me back. Thus, my choice on traveling to LA remains, for now, on hold.
This past week, we had our remote Spring Instructor Forum. These forum’s are a chance for our Community Education Instructors to get to see each other, and to interact with us. In the Community Education program we have over 200 instructors, and they live all over the area, so this is one way we stay connected.
As I prepared my small talk with the Instructors, I pondered this past year, the current year, and the upcoming year. And? What occurred to me was that, yes, so much has changed this past year, and more changes will come.
Yet, one thing that will not change is the connection we have with each other, which is why I am calling next fiscal year (2021/22), The Year of Continued Connection.
There will always be change, and, in many ways, change is wonderful. Terribly hard at times, yes, and also beautiful.
Though we have no idea what the rest of this year will bring, we know that our relationships are strong, and that they will endure through whatever change comes our way. We have proven this this past year.
I’ve written many posts about relationships and connection. I always say, there’s nothing more important than the relationship we have with ourselves, and with those people we surround ourselves with.
Everything starts with us. And, when you have a quality connection with yourself, you will have quality connections with others.
I’ll leave you this week, with two quotes I shared with the Community Education Instructors this past week, as I think they speak very well to the value of connection.
“I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be… This is the interrelated structure of reality.” Martin Luther King Jr
“I define connection as the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.” Brené Brown
habits for well being
Alright, that’s all for now.
Have a beautiful coming week.
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.
The past two weeks I’ve been reflecting more upon patience and asking for help. The more people I meet, the more I realize just how important developing patience is, as is the ability to recognize when we need help.
Often people mistakenly believe that asking for help is, in some way, a demerit, or means they are in some way deficient. I would like to dispel this notion now.
When we ask for help, we are recognizing a limit, for the moment, to either what we know, or are capable of doing. It does not mean that we are deficient. In fact, it means the opposite.
Meaning that when we recognize a limit within ourselves, we immediately get to grow that limit to a new level. And, in that moment we are courageous. Many of the greatest leaders of all time recognize and celebrate this fact.
Here is a great quote from Barack Obama about asking for help.
As I reflect upon times when asking for help was more difficult for me, I considered a few strategies that may be helpful for those that, like me, continue to see the action of asking for help as a developmental opportunity.
There are three simple strategies you can use to begin to ask people for help. Remember, we are always getting help from people around us, always. Whether we are aware of it or not, we are all connected and interdependent. Yep, true.
As we have discussed, asking for help is a courageous act. Yet, people continue to see asking for help as something that is a weakness. Let’s continue to bust this myth, shall we? Good. Here we go.
Here are a few more reasons why asking for help is needed and necessary, and should be considered a strength not a weakness.
Alright, there are a few more reasons why asking for help is needed and necessary, and why asking for help is a real strength.
If you’re not used to asking for help. Don’t worry. Try some of the strategies listed above in asking for help 101; and remember, when we ask for help, we are admitting, yes, we don’t know something, or need assistance in completing something. And, guess what?
We all don’t know many things; and, we all need assistance getting things done. We do. It’s not a demerit. It’s the opposite.
Asking for help is a sign of courage and a sign of your inner strength.
Sun like a deluge,
Cloud steals, but for a moment.
Time stretches, sublime.
Feelings of unity rife,
Everything connected. Bliss.
Blades of grass splinter,
A raven flies overhead.
Not separate. One.
Photo Credit
Though we often
Feel apart,
Watching life as a
Rhyme,
And start
Of new events
Replacing old,
There’s always something
To behold,
A common thread,
Once pulled, now
Unspooled, it
Is the measure
Of our deepest
Pleasure
As entities,
Close together,
With a flaming heart,
Which is a
A golden part
Of our humanity,
Beholden, with
The prosperity for which
We owe our deepest faith
And gratitude
A connection
That never waivers,
And, yes, is often clever
As we dance from
Afar, it seems
As if we’re alone, yet
That’s the grandest part
For, we are forever
Connected, even in our
Darkest hour, when we are
Left alone, and feel dejected
Please dive deep
And take heart, and,
Remember, my friend,
We’re never apart
For that thread is always
There, simply pull on it once,
And even twice, yes, you can also
Do it thrice if needed,
All that’s really required,
Is to hold onto the knowledge,
That everything on this planet
Has always been and will
Forever be connected.
Develop. Inspire. Transform. 