Tag Archives: Life

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on April 10, 2021
Tags: , , , , , Life, , , , , , tragedy   

Devotion

Photo by Ihor Malytskyi on Unsplash

They befall us all,
for it’s a part of being a walking
and breathing kaleidoscope,
on a planet so full of hope.

When they come,
it’s very normal to withdraw,
and look for reasons for this flaw.

Asking questions to the sky above,
yet, that might not be where
the answers are located, my love.

Tragedies are a part of the calamity of
this thing we call life.
They are part and parcel of the
seen and unseen,
and everything in between; conjoined
forever in an illusory dance with,

Blessings

my friend are all around you,
so when you have a moment,
take a minute, and stop. Stop
moving, and just be
with all that surrounds you, and
is within you.
And, in that silence,
listen, feel, and always
keep it real.

Reality holds a lot of promise,
when we move out of the way,
and let go of our preconceived notions.
When we stay in motion,
and let our hearts open,
allowing the silence within to
determine our devotion.

#poetry, #contemplation, #insight, #introspection, #intuition, #life, #love, #poem, #poems, #quiet, #slience, #tragedy

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 am on April 10, 2021
Tags: , , , , , expression, , Life, , , , , , , , words   

The Dance Dances A Life of Its Own

Image

This poem is a collaboration with DiosRaw, which is a wonderfully insightful website, and inspirational blog. I had a great time writing this poem with Amber. We hope you enjoy it!

Disguised within
the might of words lies silence
that speaks
inwardly, with
a spark reserved for the rendering
of our collective hearts.

Beneath
the surface,
the
words we ink, spill our surrender into authentic seeing
between
the spaces in momentum being, created inside that expanse at your center.

Be clear, my dear,
the way of opening is already
here,
just take a look at those concepts
you hold close,
transcending
into non-dual consciousness,
meaningful
and meaningless abstractions superimpose.

One on top of the other,
in a dance of mutuality and
complete singularity, so
breathe in deep, be silent,
and let those words go.

Do not mock a pain you have not endured,
you walk in shoes of yours
to express into words
the meaning of experience you chose,
once adopted these concepts we call words,
live a life of their own, dancing from within to the
page in a steady stream of consciousness
via the law of attraction, instead of simple reaction.

Reflected in the multifaceted mirror,
scattered fractals of the all,
squeezing the essence of awareness into our scripts,
fear not your own beauty in your creations,
for the dancer creates the dance to be danced.


#poetry, #concepts, #consciousness, #creation, #dance, #expression, #lawofattraction, #life, #love, #meaning, #mirror, #nature, #poem, #poems, #self, #words

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on April 9, 2021
Tags: , , , , Life, , , , , , ,   

Mind

Photo by Mario Álvarez on Unsplash

thinking,
the mind ponders
and creates at will, so
watch, listen, and sit in
the silence in-
between.

The name of this style of poem is called the Hexastich. It took me some time to get to writing one of these. It was fun.

#poetry, #contemplation, #hexastich, #instrospection, #life, #love, #meditation, #mind, #poem, #poems, #silence, #within

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on April 7, 2021
Tags: , , , , Life, , , , , , , , , wdys#76   

Tanka #10

sit, watch, and wait, while
the Universe explains the
scene unfolding, and
the mystery within, as
one moment becomes the next.

In response to the WDYS #76 prompt from Keep it Alive, by Sadje.

#poetry, #contemplation, #cosmos, #introspection, #life, #love, #meditation, #mystery, #nature, #poem, #poems, #tanka, #universe, #wdys76

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on April 5, 2021
Tags: , firstfriendship, firstlove, , Life, , , , , Repost,   

Friends (Repost)

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is torsten-dederichs-xrcesqktwgk-unsplash.jpg
Photo by Torsten Dederichs on Unsplash

I am reposting this poem, as it was just accepted into Spillwords!

I saw you
That first time
From across
The playground,

Though there were
So many people around,

You
Sure did stand out

They called me shy
Back then,
So as our eyes met,
I turned on my heel

In fret

Of the unknown, which
You conjured
In, my, then
Burgeoning

Imagination

And, the anticipation
Of our first real
Meeting, which
Filled me

With so many
Strange
And never
Felt before feelings

Of mystery

Inside my own
Young history

And, when you did
Approach?

I started for the door,
And you captured
My hand, and
Said, don’t

Be afraid, your
Safe with me
In the shade, of

Our first encounter
And, oh, what a joy
I did feel,
As my heart sped,

And then so did
My head

With thoughts of fancy,
And love
At first sight,
You were such a delight-

-ful being, grace and
Composure, a rock on
My shoulder, countenance
And magic

All rolled into one

For I did shelter in your
Embrace,
For many a year,
Through storms and triumphs,

All given with such grace
And composure
Even through
The most

Difficult

Exposure
To pain,

You were always
At my side, rain or
Shine,

I never did fear
You would slide away
Or hide come what may

Why?

Because you were
The first,
For all the rest
Were measured against,

My true love,
And first real friend

#poetry, #firstfriendship, #firstlove, #friends, #life, #love, #poem, #poems, #relationships, #repost, #spillwords

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on April 4, 2021
Tags: , , , , , Life, , , , sensibility, , , ,   

Witness

Photo by 🇻🇪 Jose G. Ortega Castro 🇲🇽 on Unsplash

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.

#poetry, #balance, #connection, #contemplation, #introspection, #life, #love, #poem, #poems, #sensibility, #silence, #stillness, #tranquility, #witness

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 am on April 4, 2021
Tags: , , , , , , , , Life, martin luther king jr, , , , , , , , , ,   

A Blogger’s Diary 4/4/21: On Writing, Reflecting, Travel, and Connection

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.

Writing

Photo by Quinton Coetzee on Unsplash

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.

Tanka #9

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.

Heed

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.

Travel

Photo by Kayle Kaupanger on Unsplash

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.

Connection

Photo by Vivaan Trivedii on Unsplash

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.

#poetry, #blogger, #bloggers-diary, #blogging, #brene-brown, #connection, #covid-19, #diary, #life, #martin-luther-king-jr, #pandemic, #poem, #poems, #reality, #reflecting, #relationships, #self-awareness, #travel, #vaccination, #writing

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on April 3, 2021
Tags: , , garden plot, , Life, My One Thing, planning, sustenance,   

My One Thing This Spring: Gardening Part 2

Readying the Soil and Planning the Garden Plot

Photo by Massimo Virgilio on Unsplash

In my last entry on gardening, I wrote about getting a community garden plot for this first time in a long time. It’s been 4 or 5 years since I’ve been a part of a community garden.


The community garden is just down the street from where I live, and has only been in existence for 4 years or so.

The plot I have is 20’x10’, which is a little large for me, yet I’ve managed to work the entire plot and ready it for planting.


Here is what it looks like after a month of working the soil.

Corvallis, OR April, 2021

Yep, it’s ready. Excited.

Now, in this part of the United States, it rains a lot. A lot, a lot. Which means that you have to wait to sow the seeds directly into the ground until the winter frost has mostly dwindled. Yet, you can also start seeds indoors, which I will also be doing, and will write more about next time.

Once I made my vegetable choices, I started to plan out the garden space. At that same time, I read an article about planning a garden plot. I learned a lot. There are actually applications and software programs you can use today, which make planning much easier.

Many of the applications and software programs are not free, yet I did manage to find one on the Old Farmer’s Almanac that had a free 7 day trial. The software program is amazing.

Here is the garden plot plan I created with the software program.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac Garden Planner

Pretty fun, yes? Yep, it’s pretty cool.

I am excited to begin to plant. I will start the planting process this weekend, and continue it over the next couple of weeks. I should have all of the seeds into the ground by late April. 

Alright, that’s this week’s installment of My One Thing This Spring: Gardening Part 2, Readying the Soil and Planning the Garden Plot. Next time, I hope to have some sprouting veggies to show you. 

Until then, be well, and have a lovely weekend.

#community, #community-garden, #garden-plot, #gardening, #life, #my-one-thing, #planning, #sustenance, #vegetables

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 am on April 3, 2021
Tags: , , creatingsilence, deeperunderstanding, , , , Life, mentalflexibility, , , , , , ,   

The Reflection Series Part 9: The Power of Silence

In Leadership and Life

Photo by Tim Hüfner on Unsplash

This past week, I’ve been reflecting upon the power of silence; and, maybe more importantly how in that absence of sound and other stimuli there lives a very powerful reservoir. One that, as many of you know, I was not in touch with for many years.

In my reflection this past week, I’ve also been pondering how in today’s fast-paced, go, go, go, culture, I do have the United States in mind here, accessing silence is even more important. The paradox? It’s harder to access. Though not for the reason you may be thinking.

It’s harder to access, not because there is less silence available in the US. In fact, accessing silence has nothing to do with spaces and places. The reason that it is harder in the US to access silence is actually rather simple. It’s not valued, nor taught. In fact, one could argue that the opposite is valued.

Fast-paced, loud, go, go, go. Right? These may be horrible generalizations, yet take a look around any metropolitan city in this country, and what do you see? People moving fast, cars driving fast, animals moving fast. Habituation to a lifestyle that proceeds all of us, yet we also help to continue to perpetuate this lifestyle. Interesting.

In this post, I want to create a space to discuss some practices that anyone, no matter where you live, can take up to secure themselves a little silence each day. These practices are common sense. No great mysteries here. Yet, it’s the planning and doing and repeating that matter most in this conversation. (Re)habituation.

(Re)habituation

Photo by Omar Flores on Unsplash

Well, I’ve not defined a word in a while in a post, so let’s do that, shall we? Good. Here we go.

habituation

noun /həˌbɪtʃuˈeɪʃn/ /həˌbɪtʃuˈeɪʃn/[uncountable] (formal)

  1. ​habituation (of somebody/something) (to something) the action or condition of becoming used to something

There we go.

So, what then is (re)habituation? It simply means the process of habituating ourselves to a different set of stimuli, actions or conditions, while letting go of the ones we are currently habituated to. Simple. Yet, when we are habituated to an action or a particular set of conditions, it can be difficult to (re)habituate ourselves to something new.

I’ve written on this topic before, and think, especially right now, it is important for everyone to consider how they can get at least a few moments of silence in their lives each day.

Just a short 4 years ago, I never created silence for myself. In fact, I thought reading and watching television was, in their own way, silent time. And, when you don’t know how to access silence, and, in fact, are quite afraid of it, then watching TV or reading a book can seem like silent time.

Yet, accessing real silence takes practice. And, guess what? Once you’ve created a new habit to access silence, and you’ve done so for some time, you begin to realize that silence is always available. Even when you are busy. A paradox? Yes, and no.

Here are a couple things you can do on a regular basis to begin to access silence.

  1. Stop – when you are super busy. Stop. Stop, and set an alarm on your phone for 2 minutes and just sit there and focus on your breath. The way the air is inhaled into your lungs and the way it is exhaled out. Just 2 minutes. Do that periodically throughout your day. You will find that in just 2 minutes of silence, you can quiet your mind a little, and gain more focus. As you practice this 2-minute silence break, increase it after a couple of weeks to 3 minutes, then 5 minutes. It is amazing how much focus and mental equilibrium can be created out of just a few minutes of real silence.
  2. Walk – calendar yourself for regular walks. You can start with a 5-minute walk. If you’re at work, maybe it’s just around the area you work, inside or out, it matters not. What matters is to focus on your breath as you walk. As you take a step, inhale in, and as you take another step, exhale out. You can even count the steps as you take them. I still do this today without even thinking about it. Habituation.
  3. Listen – when you are super busy, stop what you are doing, and listen to your mind and body. How do they feel? Are you tense? Is your mind super active? If so, stop and breathe for a few minutes, or take a walk, as described above.
  4. Repeat – the most important thing about creating a new habit, or (re)habituating ourselves out of our current habits and into new ones is repetition. Daily is best. Yet, it is also important to set a schedule you can work with and that will feel good. So, if that’s every other day, so be it. Getting started is key, and then continuing as you are able will create more workability for you inside of creating a new habit.

Alright, there are a couple of things you can do to habituate yourself into a new habit, which will help you gain access to silent time everyday. Remember, if you forget, which will happen, or feel you don’t have time so choose not to access silent time one day, it’s okay.

There are no demerits here. It’s about creating more workability by increasing your focus, attention, and mental wellness, something everyone needs, and leaders must have.

Leadership and Silence

Photo by Samuel Pereira on Unsplash

I’ve found accessing silence one of the most powerful concepts and practices of my entire life; and, remember, the person writing this post did know how to access even one minute of real silence until about 4 years ago. True.

Yet, when we create the time to be silent, to quiet our minds, to listen to our bodies, and to just be, what we get back is so much more. We get more focus, attention, and mental wellness, and we also get more insights. Insights into our own humanity. A sacred and beautiful experience.

Here are five few ways that silence has impacted my life and leadership.

  1. Mental Flexibility – when we are mentally flexible, we are open and willing to listen and learn.
  2. Calmness – remaining calm under great pressure and stress is key to keeping yourself and your team on track and in alignment.
  3. Clarity – developing clarity means that your communications will be more clear and understandable. Communication is one of the most important functions in leadership, so being clear, concise, and understandable is key.
  4. Patience – the ability to demonstrate patience shows your team that even under extreme pressure, you will remain open and flexible. Demonstrating patience will give your team more confidence in you as a leader.
  5. Deeper Understanding – to lead, you must understand yourself well; and, you must be able to relate to all people, staff, peers, customers, clients, everyone. Developing a deeper understanding of your own humanity, means that you develop a deeper understanding of all humanity, which makes you more relatable, empathetic, and compassionate.

There are many more ways that silence has impacted my life and leadership, yet these are important for all of us, and for leaders they are critical. The ability to be mentally flexible, remain calm, have clarity, demonstrate patience, and create a deeper understanding of yourself are skills that every leader needs.

Remember, then, the next time you feel overwhelmed at work or in life, create silent time for yourself. It can even be 1 minute to start. What matters most is getting started.

It’s about accessing the silence that is always within you; and, watching that grow over time, as you continue to practice the act of creating silent time for yourself.

#clarity, #creatingnewhabits, #creatingsilence, #deeperunderstanding, #habituation, #leadership, #leadershipdevelopment, #life, #mentalflexibility, #mindfulness, #patience, #personaldevelopment, #professionaldevelopment, #reflection, #selfdevelopment, #silence

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on April 2, 2021
Tags: , , , heed, , Life, , , , , stormyweather   

Heed

Photo by Forrest Moreland on Unsplash

At times I am filled with such deep
Emotion, it’s like my body has stopped
Working and the commotion running through
Me isn’t being sifted, instead I’m being through the
Heavens lifted.

An entirely different plane fills me, and I wonder
What it all means. Just for a second though,
as the tide turns, and the emotion that’s run through me
Is turning the corner, looking for more stormy weather
Out at sea.

The clouds open up, the lightning flashes, and
The thunder rumbles, and the depths pull at me
With such vigor, I become perplexed, and do not
Dither.

Instead I move with the dance, allowing it to cast
Me as is willed. Knowing that the play’s still playing,
And the last act’s not retiring, nay, still moving onto
Another scene, and I start praying.

Softly, silently, asking for guidance, knowing that
It’s always been there, and will forevermore be clear.
Even on stormy days, when the weather continues
On it’s own way, and we continue to play, and, to not
Be led astray.

Be all that you may, my dear, and let life fill you
As needed. It’s all we can do at times, just be, and let
Your soul heed it.

#poetry, #contemplation, #emotions, #heed, #introspection, #life, #love, #nature, #poems, #reflection, #stormyweather