The absence of thought,
Like a dew drop in repose.
Floats away, not caught.
Photo Credit
Before us, stands
The gateway,
To another
Time
When life was full
Of promises, which
We held close to heart,
Even in times
That gave us a start, and now
As we prepare to cross
That boundary once again,
Dear friend,
Let’s remember
To let go of our preconceived
Notions of what life
Is supposed to be,
You see
Those illusions are based on
Something else
Altogether, reminiscence, yes,
Yet, all so very different
And now?
Before us, we have
A real chance
To start again,
Entering a new realm
Of possibility,
Where hope
Languishes in the air
Just like when life was simple,
And the flowers bloom
With a malodorous
Effect, which, I suspect,
Creates more potential
In each and every
Pupil
Of life,
All one has to do,
Is cross the threshold,
And behold, all that’s
Awaiting you
Just on the other side
Of that gateway
Where your
Life
Will continue to unfold
In response to prompt WDYS#64 from Keep it Alive, by Sadje.
I’m always wondering,
Should I go left, or
Right,
And, though I know
Either way is alright,
It’s still a consideration,
Made without pause,
Or, rather, with
A minute gaze
Upon the thaw
Of the decision maze
Without any notice,
Or applause
As we consider
A simple decision, and know
It’s ours to create
In times when they
Are rough, and in times
When they are just
Enough
We can consider
For a millenia
Yet,
What I’ve
Found, is that
You’ll end up in the
Same place roundabout
No matter the
Selection made
About the gain
We’d like to make
Left or right, then
Remember, friend,
It’s alright,
And all is tight, yes,
With anticipation,
However, your
Destination,
Is preset, so let go,
And take the path,
Which feels best
Your majesty,
I do see while
sitting under the
shady tree.
As I look out
at Your crests,
and hold true to
the feeling in my chest.
A beauty beyond
comprehension.
On land,
we only ever see
a fraction
of Your love
and devotion,
which You send
to us all, even
when we least expect
it.
And, that’s when it’s
most detected
by the senses,
even if we don’t
know
what’s protecting
us
in each moment.
You know,
and always have,
for your Grace is
everlasting, like
a strand
that goes on
forever and ever
until the very end.
And, then?
It all starts again.
Alright, so I recently took up writing haikus, as many of you know, and am having a fantastic time. I’ve posted one thus far, and have three others scheduled, and then this weeked?
Well, along with the other writing I’ll do, I plan to spend time reflecting upon new ideas for a few more haikus.
What am I learning? Good question. A lot actually. Let’s take a look.
A haiku is a poem, which was created in Japan in the 9th century, that contains a 5-7-5 syllable sound pattern, which is elegant, beautiful, and challenging to craft. There are a few distinctions between traditional haikus, and more contemporary haikus.
For instance, in traditional haikus, there are some very explicit rules. Here is an example, taken from Your Dictionary.
Here is an example of a traditional haiku.
“The Old Pond” by Matsuo Bashō
An old silent pond
A frog jumps into the pond—
Splash! Silence again.
Read Poetry
And, here is an example of a contemporary haiku.
Joyce Clement “Birds Punctuate the Days”
Period
One blue egg all summer long
Now gone
Read Poetry
As you conduct more research, however, you find that contemporary haikus are less strict, and can take on numerous forms, as you can see from the above example. It’s super interesting, and a lovely learning experience.
There is also a poem called the tanka, created in Japan in the 7th century. Unlike the haiku, which is 17 syllables, the tanka is a 31 syllable poem, typically in the syllable sound pattern, 5-7-5-7-7.
Here is an example of a tanka poem.
八雲立つ 出雲八重垣 妻籠みに 八重垣作る その八重垣を
Layers of cloud in the sky
Medium
I am here, ‘Izumo’ country
to protect my sweet wife
I will make layers of fences
eight layered surrounding our home
Gorgeous.
Now, I am just taking up writing haikus, so tankas will have to wait, yet there are similarities between the two; and, in fact, a tanka (the 7-7 sound pattern) can be added to the haiku. It might, then, look something like this, using my first haiku as an example.
Slowly, the rain falls,
Haiku #1
we rejoice in the moment.
And then it is gone.
I await the next moment,
frenzied feeling of delight.
Wow, that was fun.
Alright, that’s my one thing this weekend, so I wanted to share, as it is such a joy to continue this poetry journey with all of you.
Have a lovely weekend.
Slowly, the rain falls,
we rejoice in the moment.
And then it is gone.
Photo Credit
You
touch me so,
even when I’d
rather stay in tow,
and resist
Your earthly gaze.
For it is You out there
in the haze,
preparing the way,
for us to see
again.
Even
when we are unsure
about the road
to take, You
clear
a
path,
and a friend
we make.
It’s
Your honesty, and
transparency
that will leave
a legacy,
of times
when hope
was squandered
and people
often foundered
for an idea to hold
onto.
Yet,
You stay, and
present
what is, at times,
considered second best.
However,
in those moments,
we are merely confused.
And, yes, my friend,
it is,
a part of the
human condition.
To try and
understand,
what, at times,
is, and, may remain
a mysterious
transition,
which
we may leave
to Your guidance.
And,
the history
of a legacy,
which we can
clearly feel, and
face
as You nestle
us in Your tender
embrace.
Scintillating, as the
Sun rise, and the
Sparkle on a
Sea crested wave of bliss
Is keeping things
In perspective, a key
Inside all things, my friend, as is the
Inner-knowing, of the
Moonrise in the early dawn of
Morning, as the shadows play hide and seek
Magnificently with our genuine desire for
More games to begin, and yet
Playing games, and becoming
Perplexed, only causes more confusion, so
Please consider the simplest form of
Purchase between the two delivered to you, and
Love each for their unique gifts, as you
Languish in the sea salted air, and
Learn to tell the difference, a
Legendary affair of marked resistance and acceptance, is
Ever
Evolving, and
Energizing, our
Earthly
Existence
I’ve written about vulnerability often this past year. Why? Well, I do believe that vulnerability is one of the most important gateways to our own development. Pretty simple really.
Vulnerability conceptually is simple, as most things conceptually are. However, practicing vulnerability, well, that’s a whole different experience.
We can talk about concepts often and at length, however, when we put those concepts, like vulnerability, into practice in our lives, they can often feel very uncomfortable. And, vulnerability is no exception.
Yet, it is so important for each of us to find new ways, which are safe, to put vulnerability into practice in our lives. Safe? Meaning, where we are with people we trust and can rely upon. Important, as when we are vulnerable, we are bearing a side of ourselves that is, for lack of a better way to explain it, raw.
Raw, meaning, that these sides of ourselves have not been exposed to, what can sometimes be harsh conditions in the world, so we must take care when we practice our vulnerability.
Now, when we find those spaces and places where we can be the vulnerable-selves we know ourselves to be, so that we can grow and learn, there are many things we will get back from our environments, and ourselves, which makes practicing vulnerability quite the exquisite experience. What, prey are those things?
Right. Well, in this article we will explore three of them. Three reasons, as I think about it, why it is important for us to practice vulnerability regularly, so that we may grow into the next iteration of ourselves.
Ready? Good. Here we go.
Wow, how important is learning? Pretty important, right? Yep, I agree. Well, to learn more about the world, and the people in it, we must first, learn about ourselves. And, being actively vulnerable is key. Why?
Because we get to learn about aspects of ourselves that were previously unavailable. For instance, if you are nervous about public speaking, as I once was, and you always resist public speaking, well, you will never learn about the experience of public speaking. And?
That’s perfectly okay. However, if you are interested in tapping into a reservoir of untapped potential, then being vulnerable in the area of public speaking will be a gateway to your learning more about yourself as a public speaker.
The only way to become a public speaker is to do public speaking. You can read every book that was ever written on the topic, and still never become a public speaker. Whereas book knowledge is helpful, it is in the vulnerable practice of public speaking, for example, where we create the possibility of becoming a public speaker.
Now, as we practice vulnerability, and venture into environments that we previously resisted, we learn more about the experience of, staying with the previous example, being a public speaker. And?
Then, we get the experience of knowing what it is like to be a public speaker. Again, the only way to know what it’s like to be a public speaker is to become one. Meaning, to take one step, or one action, toward the realization of your goal to become a public speaker.
And, guess what? You get to control how big those steps are. When we actively participate in being vulnerable, we set the pace. It’s iterative. It takes time.
There was a time when I was terrified of public speaking. And, I mean terrified. Then when I was about 28, I wanted to become a leader in the company I was working for at the time. Well, there is lots of public speaking in leadership. Lots of it. And? I took one small step at a time. One step, led to the next, and so on.
And, the steps I just wrote about? That is growth. That’s what it looks like. You set a goal outside of your comfort zone, knowing you will have to be vulnerable to get there, and you take a step each day, or every other day, or once a week, or month.
Again, you control the pace.
Growth is an experience. It happens in the world by taking actions that we’ve not taken before. And, to take actions we’ve not taken before, especially when we are fearful or anxious, requires courage, yes, and it requires vulnerability.
Courage and vulnerability go hand-in-hand. In fact, there is a super cool quote I’ve drawn upon a few times from Brené Brown that speaks to this truth. Here it is.
“Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome. Vulnerability is not weakness; it’s our greatest measure of courage.” -Brené Brown
Book Riot
Powerful. And, it’s been my experience that vulnerability and courage are linked. In fact, I believe they are one and the same. You cannot be courageous without being vulnerable, and you cannot be vulnerable without being courageous. They are one.
Now, as you learn more about yourself, and begin to tap into your vulnerable areas, you also begin to know more and grow more. These three, learning, knowing, and growing are also linked. And, the concept that lies behind them? Yep. It is an experience.
When we are in action, and experiencing life, living our life in vulnerable ways, we are creating movement. Movement for ourselves, yes, and for those around us. Meaning, when we move our own development forward, we move the development forward of the people around us.
It’s the way it works.
And, when we continue this pattern? Well, traction will inevitably follow. Meaning, that as we continue to grow, and those around us grow, we create contexts never seen before. Seriously. It’s not possible that they’ve been seen, because you are doing things you’ve never done before. Beautiful.
It’s inside of this movement and traction, and these new contexts, where the possibility to change the world lives. And, I mean this literally. The world is always moved forward from contexts that contain both courage and vulnerability.
And, remember you do have the power to change the world. We all do. What does it take?
Learning more, knowing more, and growing more in contexts that were previously unavailable to us. And, creating these contexts takes courage, yes, and vulnerability. So?
Be courageous, embrace your vulnerability, and change the world for the better. One action at a time.
A mythological
quandary, one
indeed,
for the ages.
As we turn
the pages, of
our shared history,
and begin
to investigate
the trouble about.
For
growing
is hard work,
has been for all time,
so, don’t be glum.
Rather, know
that
we are all confused
at times
when the pain comes.
As if
there’s a problem
with the sum
of our emotions.
Know,
our emotions
are in the right place,
just as they are.
Radiating
like waves
through a sea
of beatitudes
and, yes,
also platitudes,
as we mourn the self
we once
were.
See,
not all of us
were told that
growing is hard,
and to expect
to fail, and even
fall,
like a dancing bard.
And, now?
Let down
your guard,
be with
the moment,
and go that extra yard.
Knowing
all the while
that everything
is as it should be,
as you
are like the sun,
glowing, and
forever growing, my son.
