Blades of grass splinter,
A raven flies overhead.
Not separate. One.
Photo Credit
- Photo by Kelly Vohs on Unsplash
- Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
- Photo by Ignacio Giri on Unsplash
- Photo by Benjamin Davies on Unsplash
Haiku #3
Tag Archives: Love
A Blogger’s Diary 1/17/21: On Writing, A 21st Birthday, and Overwhelm
Well, as I mentioned in my last entry, last week was the first week of the term, and we were busier than we have been since the pandemic started.
I’ll have more to write about that in a minute. First, let’s take a look at the writing that occurred this week.
Writing
- Left or Right?
- Connected
- Gateway
- Haiku #2
- Fascination
- The Leadership Series Part 2.75: Why Developing the Self is Always the First Step in Leadership
- Fire
- The Reflection Series Part 6: The Necessity of Having Difficult Conversations
There we go.
It was great to put a period on the lengthy second installment of the Leadership Series. In installment 3, we will look at creating and developing teams. Will be fun.
Alright, and next week?
Well, I already have another Haiku scheduled, as well as a Tanka poem. I also have an article on intention and the last installment in My One Thing: Creating Alignment in Our Lives.
I also have some new ideas, which I’ll get to writing about in the next month or two. Here are a few of those ideas.
- The Leadership Series Part 3
- A new series on leadership, called Leading from Within
- An article on the law of attraction
- And, of course, I’ll have new entries in both the developmental moments and reflection series in the next few weeks.
Alright, how about birthdays.
Birthdays
Well, my oldest son turned 21 this week, and my youngest will turn 17 in May. Phew. It is hard to believe, and then not, that these boys are so grown.
I am so impressed with who they are becoming as young men, and am so proud of them both. A lucky father, am I.
Alright, Justin’s birthday was this past week, so he was over Saturday night, and I made a spinach salad with baked tofu (breaded with panko and slightly fried), and brown sugar butternut squash bread.
Both were super tasty, though I will write that the bread was a little sweet for my tastes. Here is the recipe for the bread, and a couple of pics.
Fun!
Overwhelm
As I already mentioned, last week we had our busiest week of registration since the pandemic started. Of course, this also means that the team was super busy, and, each of them, at different times and at different levels, experienced overwhelm. Yes, me included.
On Wednesday it occurred to me, though not for the first time, that we are all inundated with stimulation, and it occurs differently inside of the pandemic. Meaning, many of us are on technology more than ever before; and it is needed and necessary to move our work forward.
However, being aware of creating quiet space is also needed and necessary. I think it is needed more now than ever before, and necessary to keep us centered and in balance.
Thus, I sent the team the following message on Wednesday. Subject line: Please read today: Taking the time needed.
Hi all,
CORVALLIS, OREGON, 2021
Phew, what a busy week!
I am so impressed by each of you, by the work and possibilities we continue to create for our community.
A record number of registrations continue to come in!
And, just as our record number of registrations is a beautiful thing to see and be a part of, we have all felt, in some way this week, overwhelmed by the work we are engaged in.
I’ve said what I am about to write, in just about every meeting this week.
We all need to create time to put the work down, and just be. Be outside in the sun, if it is sunny as it is today, be in a quiet space in our homes, be, well, wherever you can create time for yourself that is away from technology and stimulation.
I am asking each of you to continue to create this time for yourselves when needed. You will see on my calendar today at 1 pm, a walk scheduled. I will be away from my computer and phone for 45 minutes.
Please do the same when you can. It can be 10 minutes, 20, or longer, just take that time, and be.
Great work this week, team!!!!!
Jeff
Now, I’ve written before about being overstimulated, and being overwhelmed is similar, and, in fact, can function the same way.
We all need time away from everything and everyone.
As you move throughout your week, I invite you to create this time for yourself. Create time for yourself, to be with yourself. Just for you.
And, take that time to breathe, witness all that surrounds you and is within you, and just be.
Have a wonderful week.
Fire
I sit
Transfixed
By your beauty
Behold,
The sparkling movement
In your form,
Just like the day
I was born,
I am always
Mesmerized, and
At the same time
Surprised
At the way
You linger,
In my imagination
It’s
As if
My plate
Is full of magic paper
Which
You are fed
Until there is not a shred
left,
And,
I turn my
Head, and wonder
Where you went, or
Who
You may send
In your
Stead
The whisper
Of
Your glow
And the magnificence
Of
The smoke
That billows out
From your coals
Of life, for they
Do suffice, to continue
Your magic, until,
Of course,
There is no
More, and, yes,
That can feel
Tragic
Yet, you’ll
Be there in the dawn
Because your
Sister, is awaiting
In arms, to rise
Up
And provide
Us a new day,
And, upon this,
I can now lay
At your feet
For you’re the fire,
The existence,
Of my life sweet
Fascination
Just like contemplation,
Is fascination,
Beholding
True
Beauty,
In all things, it’s apparent,
When you stare
Into what’s already there
Just like the single
Flame
We might take for granted,
Or
The star
Shooting across the sky
Looking
For a reason why
Existence
Is always so persistent,
Striving
And driving humanity
Towards the heavens
Just like a feather,
Loosed
From
Someone’s fingertips,
Like when we
Were little, and
All of life was a
Playground,
Before the
Sound
Of another round
Of detritus
Fell
From the tree
Upon the ground, and
We looked on
In astonishment,
As the witness
Of all the bliss
And blessings,
For which we did see
Fascination
Did hold our attention,
While the world
Did continue
To go round and round,
And we left the playground
For a life full of
Adult things,
Which
Held
Less fascination,
Yet, when you really look, and
See, you will find
That fascination
Still holds true,
When you
Let go, and stay present
To all the beauty,
That’s right in front of you
Haiku #2
The absence of thought,
Like a dew drop in repose.
Floats away, not caught.
Photo Credit
- Photo by Mark Timberlake on Unsplash
- Photo by Mahina Gelderloos on Unsplash
- Photo by Jill Dimond on Unsplash
- Photo by Jill Dimond on Unsplash
- Photo by Vivek Doshi on Unsplash
Gateway
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.
Connected
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.
Left or Right?
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
Water
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.
My One Thing: Writing Haikus this Weekend
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.
Haikus
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.
- There are only three lines, totaling 17 syllables.
- The first line is 5 syllables.
- The second line is 7 syllables.
- The third line is 5 syllables like the first.
- Punctuation and capitalization are up to the poet, and need not follow the rigid rules used in structuring sentences.
- A haiku does not have to rhyme, in fact usually it does not rhyme at all.
- It can include the repetition of words or sounds
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.
Tanka
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.
Develop. Inspire. Transform. 