A Bloggerโ€™s Diary 11/7/21: On the Week, Writing and Reflecting, Social Media, the Coast, and the Woman: Splendor and Sorrow: | Love Poems and Poetic Prose Contest

The Week

Photo by RandallBillings, Pixabay

Well, we are now five weeks into the fall term, and having face-to-face classes for the first time in 22 months. It is both wonderful, and a bit stressful. Thus far, things are going well, and we are now planning to double the amount of face-to-face classes for winter term. All the while realizing that at any moment these classes may need to be switched to remote delivery. We will see.

Iโ€™ve also been working on a new partnership with a regional corporation for employee training, which I am excited about. The training program would increase access to education and employment for many in the local workforce. A wonderful opportunity.

Writing and Reflecting

Photo by Nile, Pixabay

As you all know, my focus, passion, and creative energies are still focused on poetry, and I donโ€™t see that changing anytime soon. I am in love with the creative process that has developed within me over the last year, and actually have amassed quite a lot of poetry, which may serve as the basis of a book.

I am planning to reflect upon the book, which does already have a title, and go through all of my poems over the winter holidays; the idea being that a book may take form sometime in the spring.

Of all the poems that have been published over the past month or so, unknown, and already unbound, and dusty, and delicious, are the two Iโ€™ve chosen to write about today.

The poem unknown, already, unbound, was a concept that occurred to me while reflecting on my dreams and how worlds (and our associated realities) are socially constructed through our perceptions. Meaning, that, though weโ€™ve always been unbound and limitless, conditioning and socialization creates perspectives of limitation and boundness, if you will.

However, when we recognize that we are just like the tree, the sapling, and the seed, unbound, and already always walking into the unknown, so much of life becomes available. Increasing our awareness of these truths, creates a world, reality, and visceral experience of aliveness. Is beautiful.

The poem dusty, and delicious, was inspired by the WDYS#103 photo prompt from Keep it Alive, by Sadje. I think it is pretty obvious from the poem that the inspiration was, in fact, a reflection of my time as a child living in Los Angeles. My parents would always get donuts on Sunday mornings, and I would await the delivery of these tasty treats with bated breath. Seriously!

Reminiscing about my childhood and writing the poem was much fun, and, well, tasty, even. Ha!

Social Mediaย 

Photo by geralt, Pixabay

In my last diary entry, I wrote about posting on more social media sites, Insta and Twitter more specifically; and that is now happening. I am getting the hang of both of these platforms, with, of course, support from some of our dear blogger friends โ€“ thank you!

These social media platforms are quite different from each other. With Instagram, I plan to continue to post each time I post on WP; yet with Twitter, itโ€™s a completely different strategy.ย 

There is a 280 character limit on Tweets, which makes writing a complete poem a challenge, which is the fun of it. I am committed to writing one โ€œTwitter Poemโ€ each day through the rest of this calendar year.

Here is an example of one of my recent Twitter Poems.

love lives
in the unseen,
in the moments
in between, in the stars, and
galaxies, inside of you and me, and
in every living thing,
seenโ€ฆ

Super fun. Iโ€™ve connected with some of you on both of these social media platforms, yet, if weโ€™ve not yet connected, I invite you to follow me, and then, of course I will follow back. You can reach me on Instagram here, and on Twitter here.

The Coast

Photo by agape357, Pixabay

As most of you know, I love the ocean; and, I am taking a trip to the coast in about two weeks. I am super excited. I am staying in a different town this time called Waldport, which is just next door to Yachats, which is one of my favorite places on the Oregon coast.

Of course, I will take lots of pictures while I am there, and will post about the trip when I am back. Itโ€™s been a while since Iโ€™ve been to the coast, and I am eager. When you grow up close to the coast, or the beach, sea, or whatever the ocean is called where you live, you yearn to be with the water, the waves, the salty air and mist, and the wondrous sea life. I cannot wait.

Woman: Splendor and Sorrow: | Love Poems and Poetic Prose Contest

Woman: Splendor and Sorrow: | Love Poems and Poetic Prose

I wanted to take a moment here to thank Gabriela Marie Milton, and to congratulate all of the finalist of the Woman: Splendor and Sorrow: | Love Poems and Poetic Prose Contest.

I am deeply touched and honored to be a finalist in this contest, and to be included in a list of such talented poets. I am humbled. Much love to all of my fellow poets, and to Gabriela for being such a wonderful support to our lovely community.

Alright, thatโ€™s all for this week.

Have a beautifully blessed week, everyone.


#poetry, #bloggers-diary, #blogging, #keep-it-alive, #limitless, #perception, #poem, #reality, #reflecting, #reminiscence, #short-prose, #socialconstruction, #writing

A Bloggerโ€™s Diary 10/3/21: On the Week, Writing and Reflecting, Publications and A Poem, WordPress, and Self-expression๏ฟผ

The week

Over the past couple of weeks, the team has been preparing for school to begin, which means the registration team has been, is, well, super duper busy, which is awesome. Instructors are prepping for classes, as the rest of the staff are doing things like, getting computers out to in-person locations for late registrations, and supporting instructors as and where needed.ย 

Itโ€™s been an amazing couple of weeks, filled with registration numbers the likes of which we havenโ€™t seen since prior to the pandemic. Amazing.

The past couple of weeks, Iโ€™ve also been reflecting upon the concept of self-expression in relation to human beingness; and, then in relation to leadership more specifically. Iโ€™ll have a little more to write about that in a moment. First, letโ€™s take a quick look at some writing reflections from the past couple of weeks.

Writing and Reflecting

About two months ago now, I switched my blogging schedule. Previous to that time, I was posting every day, which just became too much to manage. Now, I am posting an average of 4 to 5 times a week, and that is working well for now.ย 

Iโ€™ve been thinking of possibly reducing it to 3 to 4 times a week, yet, we will see.

Iโ€™ve been writing a lot, as I always do; sometimes that means I write a poem each day, sometimes 3 or 4. It depends.ย 

Most of my poems over the past couple of weeks have taken love at their center, which is, well, quite wonderful. I never really know what is going to come from my heart, through my fingers, and onto the page youโ€™re reading; really, I never really do.

I usually begin with a concept, or more likely, a sentence or two, and go from there. It is so much fun.ย 

For instance, the poem heart-related centeredness was a response to the WDYS photo prompt, hosted by Sadje, from Keep it Alive. I love to participate in this prompt, as I am able. The photo, to me, sparked an immediate response about the connectedness of all that we see, sky, clouds, sea, and, well, you; and me, of course. It just works that way for me today; it is what I see and feel.

And, the poem referenced above, from my heart, and through my fingers, was literally a reflection on the process of writing from my heart; and how it feels to me. Is simple, and quite beautiful to me.ย 

Iโ€™ve also been blessed with another publishing opportunity, and have just heard back from Spillwords Press on one other submission. How fun!

Publications and A Poem

Iโ€™m super excited about being a part of the first ever Word Weaving โ€“ A Word Craft Journal of Syllabic Verse, the kindle version of which is available now. You can access it from the link above. If you are interested, you can also learn more at the word weaving blog.

I also just learned that my poem, Smoulder Now and Forever, has been accepted by Spillwords Press. Excited. When the poem is scheduled for publication, I will let you all know.

I also have a few more pieces coming up in both MasticadoresUSA, and MasticadoresIndia. When those are scheduled for publication, I will also let you know.ย 

If youโ€™ve not yet checked out these cool publication houses, please do so when you have time. Amazing people, and talented writers. Much fun!

Oh, before I forget, here is one of the poems that wasnโ€™t accepted recently. I am including it here, well, because it reminds me of some of my recent reflections on the moon, which has been so beautiful in the night sky recently.

Dazzling delight

the moon

dazzling delight

transformed ages of night

called on by gods and goddesses

alike

WordPress

Alright, in my last diary entry, several of us had a conversation about blogs that we follow not showing up in our reader. I did contact WP, after some coaching from our friend Cindy, from Unique Times with Cindy, thank you, dear Cindy, and here is what I learned.

There is no solution at WP for this issue. Their suggestion was to do, well, what most of us already know how to do, which is unfollow, and then refollow. Usually this will work, and the blog posts will once again begin to show in our reader.

Therefore, I will be unfollowing and refollowing some of you. We will see how that works.

Self Expression

The past couple of weeks, Iโ€™ve also been reflecting upon self-expression. As a human being on this planet, it is so important to be fully self-expressed. I know this, as I spent some years not being fully self-expressed.

When we are fully self-expressed, we get out all of the ideas, concepts, and love we have for life. We experience aliveness, through the difficulty and ease that comes with life. And, for me, itโ€™s inside of this aliveness, through all that we receive from life, where the beauty for and of life lives.ย 

It is interesting to write about self-expression within a beautiful community that self-expresses continuously; yet, what I also know about being a human being on this planet, is that even those of us who are fully self-expressed, have times when we feel not fully self-expressed.

In those moments, I usually take a walk, sit quietly, and just detach myself from all things. Inside of this space lives the possibility of reconnecting within, which for me, means insights will arise, and self-expression will follow.

Alright, thatโ€™s all for this entry.

Have a beautifully blessed week, everyone.


#poetry, #abloggersdiary, #blogging, #diary, #education, #leadership, #poems, #publications, #reflecting, #selfexpression, #wordpress, #writing

A Bloggerโ€™s Diary 8/22/21: On the Week, Writing, Reflecting, and New Publications, Books Arrived, and Social Media Poetry

The Week

This week the team continued to prepare for the fall term, which starts in 5 weeks. Hard to believe, yet itโ€™s true.

We also finished the fall schedule this week, and I am quite pleased with it. The team always works hard on the schedule, and we do so, well, 4 times a year; it is a drumbeat, if you will, that we have gotten pretty good at. Fun.

Lots of writing this week, which is always fun, and many reflections.

Writing, Reflecting and New Publications

This week was full of writing that poured from the heart, as it always does, and was centered on love. The love that emanates from me today is quite profound, and is amazing to experience.

The poem brushed ourselves with the winds, was a poem that was reflective of the deep love I have for nature and this planet. Iโ€™ve spent a lot of time in, and with, nature, and I love the feeling of being among the trees as the winds come up, and mingle with the trees in, what for me is, an exquisite dance. It is so beautiful.

The poem I await your warm embrace was a reflection of a lifetime of watching, being in relationship with, and loving many people on this beautiful planet. Human beings are a treasure, and being in relationship with people, the sharing, caring, creating, living, and loving of people, and with people, are among the most important experiences of our lifetimes. Really.

Iโ€™m pleased to announce that 4 more poems have been accepted for publication in the past two weeks. Two poems will appear in MasticadoresUSA, edited by Gabriela Marie Milton; and, two will appear in MasticadoresIndia, edited by Terveen Gill. I am super excited, and would like to again thank Gabriela, Terveen, and their respective teams. I invite you, if youโ€™ve not already done so, to visit the former, MasticadoresUSA, and visit the latter, MasticadoresIndia, once it is launched on September 1. Thank you.

When the poems are published, I will let you all know. Exciting.

Books Arrived

Photo by Susan Q Yin on Unsplash

I ordered several books a couple of weeks ago. These books hold a special place in my heart, as they have all been written by blogosphere friends. It is such a treat.

Here are the books that arrived.

โ€ข The Anthropocene Hymnal, edited by Ingrid Wilson
โ€ข Woman: Splendor and Sorrow Love Poems and Poetic Prose, by Gabriela Marie Milton
โ€ข The Waking Dream, by Grace (Ace) Hakopian
โ€ข A Little Bit of Everything, by Gayatri Bagyatkar
โ€ข The Comfort Book, by Matt Haig (a recommendation from my dear friend, Diana Menezes)

Iโ€™ll be enjoying these lovely works of art in the coming weeks. Beautiful people, inspiring writing.

Social Media Poetry

Iโ€™ve been reflecting more about writing some shorter pieces of poetry for social media, such as Instagram and, maybe Twitter. Therefore, this week, I am leaving you with a short poem on living and loving, titled live again.

Made with Canva and Prisma

Stay healthy and well, and have a blessed week, everyone.


#poetry, #bloggers-diary, #blogging, #books, #friends, #life, #love, #poem, #reflecting, #socialmedia, #writing

A Bloggerโ€™s Diary 8/8/21: On the Week, Writing and Reflecting, Portland, and Living Life as it Comes

The Week

This past week has been full of more change, as the delta variant continues to spread in the State, new cases are being reported regularly, and those vaccinated and unvaccinated are becoming infected. Scary, yet the current reality.

What does this mean for the teamโ€™s fall term in-person classes? I have no idea. We have a plan, and will execute on this plan, as possible, and if not? We will pivot, as weโ€™ve done so many times in the past 16 months. Like we all have.

Alright, though a precarious time here locally, and across the globe, it does remind me of a reflection of mine from last week. Taking life as it comes, which Iโ€™ll write more about in a moment.

First, letโ€™s take a look at some writing reflections from this past week.

Writing and Reflecting

Photo by Pepe Reyes on Unsplash

This week, the poem The Brilliance of Life, was published in MasticadoresUSA; thank you again, Gabriela and team. A true honor.

I also found out this week that MasticadoresIndia will launch September 1, and will be edited by Terveen Gill. I am super excited for MasticadoresIndia, and for Terveen. Amazing.

Alright, poem reflections, here we go.

The poem, The Brilliance of Life, like many of the poems that come forth today, was a reflection and reminiscence on working through layers and layers of trauma; and just as importantly, the newness, or brilliance, that life takes on as these layers are uncovered, and removed.

Though the process of removing these layers is difficult, thereโ€™s always a knowing that Iโ€™m (we are) never alone. We are all connected through our shared humanity, and the love and affinity we share for each other and our home, this beautiful planet.ย 

The poem, open hearts have healed, speaks to the truth just elaborated on; when we work through our grief, sadness, insert any other emotions here, our heart does break; and sometimes, it breaks again and again, yet there is always a healing and wholeness on the other side. It is so clear to me today, yet, as you all know, was not clear to me for a very long time.

Inside of the concept of brokenness, healing and wholeness are already there. Quite simple, yet profound as we experience this reality.

Portland

Music Millennium, Portland, Oregon

Last weekend, I took a quick trip, two nights, to Portland, for a very simple and pragmatic reason; to shop. Where I live in the Willamette Valley, letโ€™s say, shopping for clothes can be difficult.ย 

The shopping went quite well, and I also got to spend some time with Justin. We went to a lovely vegan breakfast place, called Nectar Cafe. Was delicious.

We also visited a super cool record store, Music Millennium. Awesomeness. The store is huge, and, I think, is the second largest in Portland. There are 5 different rooms, and an upstairs. I found three records, one of which is by John Coltrane. Soul stirringly beautiful.

Living Life as it Comes

As I mentioned earlier, the past couple of weeks, Iโ€™ve been reflecting on how life shows up; and how inside the experience of life showing up, we have, as leaders, as human beings on this planet, the opportunity to respond to a situation, or react.

Sometimes reaction is needed and necessary; yet, often, we can pause, breathe into life as it shows up, whatever the situation might be, reflect, and then respond.ย 

Creating a pause like this in our lives holds enormous power and potential. When we can be with life as it shows up, and hold the knowing that we can pause, breathe, reflect, and then respond; we create more possibility for ourselves and everyone around us.

As life continues to show up for you, and me, today, tomorrow, this week, this month, over the course of the next couple of months, remember, life just shows up; it just is, and we can create the space to pause, breathe, reflect, and then respond.

It is quite beautiful and inspirational, just like each of you.

Have a splendid week, everyone.


#poetry, #act, #blogger, #blogging, #breathe, #diary, #life, #masticadoresusa, #openheartshavehealed, #oregon, #pause, #poem, #poems, #portland, #reflect, #reflecting, #writing

A Bloggerโ€™s Diary 6/28/21: On the Week, Writing and Reflecting, WordPress, Gardening, and Appreciating 950 Followers

The Week

This week I learned that my cousin passed away in a car accident. I was, and am, saddened by the news; and, my heart goes out to all of my family in Los Angeles, and everywhere else that my family is today. Sending love and blessings to all of you.

At work this week, I prepared to take the team through a team building in two weeks, which is about creating next year. I am excited, as the entire team has not gathered in a while. Should be fun.

Writing and Reflecting

Writing did occur, as it always does, and was, well, quite prolific this week. Meaning, poems continue to come, and I am deeply grateful for the experience.ย 

Itโ€™s interesting, sometimes thereโ€™s nothing there, and at others, itโ€™s like a flood of emotions and writing all at once. Pretty amazing, indeed.

I also submitted four poems recently for publication. Two to MASTICADORESUSA, edited by Gabriela Marie Milton, which were accepted.

I am super excited about these two poems being published, and am grateful to Gabriela and the team at MASTICADORESUSA for accepting these poems.

Thank you.

I also submitted two poems to Spillwords. Iโ€™ve not heard anything back from Spillwords yet, and will keep you posted on these two submissions, as well as the two submitted to MASTICADORESUSA. Grateful, grateful.

WordPress

I also found out this week that my WP reader is not linked to all of the sites Iโ€™m following, which makes interacting with everyone a little more challenging. Therefore, I am planning to unfollow and refollow a whole bunch of sites in the next two weeks.

I think this will work, as it has in the past. So, if you see me unfollow and then refollow, thatโ€™s whatโ€™s happening. Thanks for being patient with me!

Gardening

Itโ€™s been a few weeks since Iโ€™ve created a Community Gardening post, and I chose this week to update all of you via my diary entry, as writing another Community Gardening post eludes me at the moment.

Yes! Everything is growing quite well; and, yep, Iโ€™ve got some weeding to do too!ย 

The peas and broccoli are delicious, and I am really excited about the tomatoes, squash, and, well, everything else thatโ€™s planted.

Appreciating 950 Followers

Photo by Kevin Butz on Unsplash

I am ecstatic to share that the site has surpassed 950 followers. My goal at the beginning of the year was to get to 1000 followers by the end of June. Though Iโ€™ll fall a little short of that goal, I am overjoyed about, and appreciative of, each of the 950 people that are following this site. Thatโ€™s you! Thank you!

The past year has been lots of things. Hard, sad, and, it has also been wonderful, and beautiful. And, at this moment?ย 

I am grateful.ย 

Grateful to each of you for viewing, liking, commenting, and sharing my posts. Beyond grateful.

I appreciate each of you, and am thankful to have met each and everyone of you.ย 

You are all inspiring and beautiful.

Sending love and blessings for a splendid week.


Utmost Feelings โ€“ Coming Soon!

If youโ€™ve not yet checked out Asthaโ€™s Anthology, Utmost Feelings, please check it out when you have a chance, and share as you are able. Thank you.

Additionally, the coauthors of Asthaโ€™s Anthology, Utmost Feelings, are creating a space for people to send their sentiments to Asthaโ€™s family.

If you are interested, please add your sentiments to this form, thank you, and stay blessed.

#appreciation, #blog, #bloggers-diary, #blogging, #community, #conenction, #friends, #gardening, #life, #love, #reflecting, #writing

A Bloggerโ€™s Diary 6/13/21: On the Week, Writing and Reflecting, Collecting Sentiments, and Fatherโ€™s Day

The Week

Well, after the trip to Los Angeles, work was/is busier than ever. We are now planning for the Fall Term and are going to offer in-person classes for the first time in over 15 months. Wow. Excited and, well, somewhat nervous. Normal, of course.

Alright, letโ€™s take a look at some reflections on my latest writing.

Writing and Reflecting

Iโ€™ve kept to my new blogging schedule, and it feels good. I enjoy having a couple of days off, where I can simply focus on seeing what all of you inspirational people are up to and writing about. Much fun.

I do have some leadership posts in mind, and have one on Servant Leadership that is just about completed, yet, am being so drawn to writing poetry right now, I donโ€™t see those new leadership posts being published soon. However, who knows? Maybe, theyโ€™ll find their way into a post sooner than later.

Iโ€™ve been reflecting more upon compiling a poetry book, and will start to look into this soon. I am also a part of two new Anthologies, through True Dreamster, which I am also excited about, and will have more details about in the next few weeks.

Collecting Sentiments

As you all know, I am very honored to be a part of Asthaโ€™s Anthology, Utmost Feelings, which will be published soon through True Dreamster.

In my first post about Utmost Feelings, in last weekโ€™s A Bloggerโ€™s Diary post, Alec made a lovely comment about Astha, and asked if his sentiments could be passed along to Asthaโ€™s family.

I am glad to report this is now possible. If you are interested in sending your sentiments about Astha to Asthaโ€™s family, you will find a Google Form at the end of this post, and all of my future posts for, well, I donโ€™t know how long. For a while anyway. Thank you for considering.

Fatherโ€™s Day

On July 10, 2019, my dad passed away. It was sudden and unexpected. I was at work when my younger sister called me and told me what was happening. When she first called, it was unclear whether he would survive the heart attack and stroke.

I learned rather quickly that, indeed, he would not. I remember being overcome with emotion, and yet, also in action. Meaning, that I immediately talked to the doctors, got clear on his condition, called and booked a plane, and was in Los Angeles within 4 hours.

When I arrived, he looked quite peaceful, and, of course, my mom and sisters were, just like I was, distraught, confused, and full of sadness. My dadโ€™s soul left his body that evening.

On this fatherโ€™s day, I am reminded of all the times my dad was there for me, supported me, encouraged me, and, in his way, loved me deeply, as he did my mother, sisters, and all of his grandkids.

I love and miss you dad.

I am also reflecting upon being a father, and how lucky I am to be the father of two beautiful young men. I am so lucky, and I love them more than these words could possibly convey.

I hope you all have a wonderful Fatherโ€™s Day.

Sending you all love and blessings on a wonderful week.


Utmost Feelings โ€“ Coming Soon!

If youโ€™ve not yet checked out Asthaโ€™s Anthology, Utmost Feelings, please check it out when you have a chance, and share as you are able. Thank you.

Additionally, the coauthors of Asthaโ€™s Anthology, Utmost Feelings, are creating a space for people to send their sentiments to Asthaโ€™s family.

If you are interested, please add your sentiments to this form, thank you, and stay blessed.

#astha, #being-a-father, #blogger, #bloggers-diary, #blogging, #blogs, #fathers-day, #life, #loss, #love, #reflecting, #true-dreamster, #writing

A Bloggerโ€™s Diary 5/6/21: On the Week, Writing and Reflecting, and Traveling to Portland and Los Angeles

On the Week

This past week, Iโ€™ve been writing quite a bit, yet, as you may have noticed, my blogging schedule has changed. Yep, it was intentional. A few weeks ago, I mentioned slowing down. Little did I know at that time, the writing would keep pouring out of me, yet, I am pleased with developing a new schedule.

My goal is to post about 5 or 6 times a week, with a couple days off mixed in. We will see how it goes.

Oh, and itโ€™s time to travel. Wait, what? Yep, itโ€™s time. I leave for Los Angeles tomorrow morning. Wow. I am very excited to see my mom, sisters, and nieces and nephews, and, of course, to be in LA. More on that in a moment.

First, letโ€™s take a look at some writing that occurred this week.

Writing and Reflecting

The poem Nightโ€™s End was first inspired from a WDYS prompt, from Keep it Alive, by Sadje, yet, as I reflected on the poemโ€™s beginning, I had another insight for the prompt, which ended up being the poem My Years. It happens like that sometimes.

Anyway, the poem Nights End then, was a reflection on the trials that we all face, and the knowledge that these tests are a part of the experience of being a human being on this planet. I firmly believe that they are given to us to help us learn. Learn more about all of our shared human beingness. Beautiful.

The poem The Momentโ€™s Prose was a reflection upon how fleeting each moment we have with each other truly is. However, when we are present to this fact, we cherish and relish each of these moments. This was not always the case for me, thus, in this poem, I was reflecting upon the entirety of the concept of love lossed.ย 

I was also very honored and humbled at being placed in the top 8 of Soniโ€™s Writing Contest this past week. I am so grateful to Soni for facilitating such a lovely writing contest, and am so honored to be selected alongside all of the talented writers. Congratulations to all of the writers that joined Soniโ€™s contest. You are all inspirational and amazing.ย 


If youโ€™ve not visited Soniโ€™s blog, please do. Soniโ€™s site is inspirational, motivational, and hyper-creative.

Traveling to Portland and Los Angeles

Well, as you may recall, I visited Justin in Portland last weekend, and it was a lovely trip. We enjoyed a lovely hike, visited and talked about a book we are reading together, had some wonderful food, and generally just enjoyed each otherโ€™s company.

Here are a couple pics from the trip.

And, yep, next week, tomorrow, in fact, Iโ€™ll be boarding an airplane for Los Angeles, for the first time in over 15 months. I am both anxious and very excited. As you may recall, my father passed away about 6 months prior to the pandemic, so seeing my mom will be wonderful.

Iโ€™ve no definite plans, will need to work a little while I am there, yet will get to the beach, for sure, and do some shopping, places I cannot access here, and then? Visit and love my family.

Alright, thatโ€™s all for this week, my dear friends.

Have a lovely, lovely week.


Image Credit

#poetry, #bloggers-diary, #blogging, #blogs, #california, #life, #los-angeles, #love, #oregon, #poem, #poems, #portland, #reflecting, #travel, #writing

A Bloggerโ€™s Diary 5/9/21: On The Week, Writing and Reflecting, Emotions, and Acknowledgement

The Week

A lovely week this past week, as always. Iโ€™ve been continuing to prepare and plant my plot at the community garden. Iโ€™ll have another installment in the gardening series in the next week. Fun.

Iโ€™ve also been playing the guitar more. There is something about music. Iโ€™ve always known this, yet Iโ€™ve rediscovered, or, maybe itโ€™s, renewed a deep passion within me for, and with, music. I love it so much.

Iโ€™ve also been working, well, a lot. The team is as busy as ever. We just finished the summer schedule, which we will publish next week. I will share it with all of you in my next diary post.

And, of course, Iโ€™ve been writing. Less this week, yet, itโ€™s always there, and inspirational.

Writing and Reflecting

I completed the first entry in the Willamette Valley Wanderings and Wonderings series, and am contemplating my next hike. It will be next weekend, and I may drive up to Salem. Not sure. We will see. However it goes, Iโ€™ll have some lovely pictures and reflections to share with all of you.

I also published the purpose post this past week, which was fun. I think about purpose in such a different way today. Actually, I think about everything today quite differently. Purpose is just another concept that I like to think about; and, for me, purpose lives and breathes in each moment. Itโ€™s always there, and doesnโ€™t need much attention. Just being, living, and loving. Awesome.

Emotions

Photo by Kyre Song on Unsplash

As you all know, I write a lot about emotions. The reason I write about emotions so often, is that for most of my adult life I held all of my emotions in, and didnโ€™t process them.

Once I learned how to understand my feelings, I began to learn how to process them, talk about them, and, yep, write about them.

Therefore, in the past 4 years, Iโ€™ve lived through, and engaged with, a lot of emotional processing. These experiences serve as the foundation for many of my poems, and are quite beautiful.

I appreciate each of you for walking through these experiences with me, and supporting me as we do so. An honor.

Acknowledgement

Iโ€™ve also been reflecting more upon the concept acknowledgement this past week. Partly because as I was preparing the quarterly team report, it occured to me that I had so many acknowledgements to make, if I made them all in a single communication, it would be, well, rather lengthy.

Therefore, I chose to create a 4-day communication event, acknowledging a few team members each day. It feels right, and is important. Itโ€™s also important to acknowledge ourselves, and to do so often.

When we acknowledge how we feel, the lows, the highs, the middle spots, we get so much more back; and, we develop a real sense of what it means to be a human being on this wonderful planet.

As a final acknowledgement this week, Iโ€™d like to acknowledge my beautifully strong mother, sisters, exwife, and all of those moms out there who, for so many reasons, exemplify strength, persistence, determination, compassion, love, and kindness.

Thank you. Thank you for being exactly as you are.

Alright, everyone thatโ€™s all for this week.

Have a fantastical week.

#acknowledgement, #blogger, #bloggers-diary, #blogging, #diary, #emotional-intelligence, #emotions, #life, #love, #moms, #mothers-day, #reflecting, #writing

A Bloggerโ€™s Diary 4/4/21: On Writing, Reflecting, Travel, and Connection

This past week, Iโ€™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.ย 

Before I write more about connection, letโ€™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

This past week, Iโ€™ve continued to write quite a bit of poetry. It just happens like that sometimes; and, of late, thereโ€™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.ย 

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 Iโ€™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 didnโ€™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

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.ย 

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, thatโ€™s a good question. They didnโ€™t know the answer either.ย 

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

This past week, we had our remote Spring Instructor Forum. These forumโ€™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.ย 


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.

Iโ€™ve written many posts about relationships and connection. I always say, thereโ€™s nothing more important than the relationship we have with ourselves, and with those people we surround ourselves with.ย 

Everything starts with us. And, when you have a quality connection with yourself, you will have quality connections with others.ย 

Iโ€™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.

โ€œI 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 beโ€ฆ This is the interrelated structure of reality.โ€ Martin Luther King Jr

โ€œI 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.โ€ Brenรฉ Brown

habits for well being

Alright, thatโ€™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

The Law of Attraction

A Few Simple Steps to Create a Whole New Reality for Your Life

Photo by Alexander Andrews on Unsplash

Iโ€™ve been thinking and reflecting upon writing an article on the law of attraction for a while now. Though some people may consider the law of attraction a metaphysical topic, which it is, it is also quite scientific, and, well, quite frankly, part of how the Universe works.

Why is this important?

Well, if you are interested in achieving goals in life, then the law of attraction will be important to you. And, Iโ€™d say most people are interested in achieving the goals they have for themselves.

Furthermore, if you are interested in getting outside of a loop of negative thought patterns, understanding the law of attraction, in a very practical way, is also important.

Before we get into our discussion, letโ€™s define the law of attraction.

Law of attraction

The belief thatย positive thoughtsย areย magnets for positiveย life experiences and negative thoughts (i.e. the very cynical definition previously provided for this term) are magnets for negative life experiences.

Urban Dictionary

There we go.

Alright, in this article we will take a look at the law of attraction from three perspectives. All of which, combine to form a unified whole. Ready? Good. Here we go.

Photo by Luis Villasmil on Unsplash

Thoughts and Feelings

It is factual that how we think creates our reality. Letโ€™s do a quick example to show how this works. I want you to think about a time when you were really frustrated about something, and that frustration lasted for at least a day, maybe longer. Many of us have experienced this type of frustration.

When you were frustrated in this way, how did the world look, feel, and function to you? Likely, it functioned in a frustrated way. Meaning, that you saw and experienced people that seemed frustrated to you. And, you likely blamed them for your apparent frustration. The issue?

Well, no one outside of ourselves is responsible for how we think and feel. They are not. Therefore, when we experience frustration in the world, and it affects us in some way, we are likely, on some level, frustrated ourselves.

Knowing this to be true about ourselves is not a demerit. Itโ€™s not. It just happens. And, happens often for people that are unaware of how their thoughts and feelings affect their actions.

You can conversely think about a time when you were joyful, again for a sustained period of time, and I bet you saw and experienced much more joy. Right? Yep. Same.

All of this simply means that it is how we think and feel that creates our reality. And, if we are stuck inside of negative thinking patterns, as I once was, we will experience our beautiful world through a lens of negativity. And, conversely, if we are โ€œstuckโ€ inside of positive thinking patterns, we will experience our beautiful world through a lens of positivity.

Photo by Tengyart on Unsplash

Your Body and Manifestations

And, whether we see the world negatively or positively matters and manifests throughout our body. Why? Because human beings have a tendency to hold onto their emotions. Therefore, if we are seeing the world through a negative lens, we will experience more negative emotions, and holding these emotions within ourselves will cause pain and suffering.

Further, when we see the world through a negative perspective, or cynically, we will typically make justifications and excuses for our negative behavior. Meaning, abusing our body in ways that will end up causing us more pain and suffering. An example here may help.

For many years I saw the world through a very cynical lens. Itโ€™s not a demerit. As a matter of fact, I understand this time in my life as a blessing today. Yes, it was painful, yet it was how I knew how to live in the world, and, therefore, has, upon much reflection and internal work, given me many insights.

Insights which help me tremendously today as a parent, friend, coworker, and leader. Immensely helpful.

When I was stuck in these negative thinking patterns, I held onto my anger. And, therefore I saw anger everywhere. And, I mean everywhere. Yet, I had no conception at the time that the anger I was seeing was my own. And? It was.

It was my anger, because I was the one thinking about and feeling anger, thus I gave out anger often, which caused others to be angry. Further, I could sense anger very easily, as I was in a more or less constant state of anger.

Fast forward 4 years, and my experience of life today is completely different. And, it has everything to do with how I think and feel; and, how those thoughts and feelings bring more of the same into my life; and, that, in essence and practicality is the law of attraction.

Photo by Weston Owen on Unsplash

Perspective and Reality

How we think and feel affects our perspective, as weโ€™ve just discussed, thus affecting our experience of reality. Iโ€™ve written before that there are over 7 billion worlds, or realities, on this one planet. Itโ€™s true.

Each of us has a different experience of life, based on, yes, how we were raised, the life experiences weโ€™ve had, and how we currently think and feel.

How we think and feel brings more of those same thoughts and feelings into our life. There are some that say that thoughts are just like any other thing on this planet; meaning that they are made of matter, just like we are.

And, when thought and feeling matter are manifest in our day-to-day experience we get back more of that same matter.

As simple as all of this may sound and read, it is not necessarily easy, or simple, to create new thinking and feeling patterns, or habits. Human beings like to stay in their comfortable patterns, even when those patterns are likely hurting themselves and those around them.

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

Practice

Because habits are hard to change, letโ€™s take a look at a few strategies I use daily to continue to iterate my thinking and feeling.

  • Meditation โ€“ a meditation practice, when guided by an expert, can be transformative. When we learn to sit in silence, we get to see and experience our thoughts and feelings in a whole new way. And, in seeing and experiencing our thoughts and feelings in new ways, we create the possibility of working through these thoughts and feelings, and eventually releasing them.
  • Writing โ€“ Iโ€™ve been journaling in different ways for years now. I find the experience very therapeutic. There is something about actually seeing your thoughts and feelings on paper that creates a space to dive deeper into why you are thinking and feeling as you are. Itโ€™s like a thread, which you can use to trace thoughts and feelings back to their origins.
  • Talking โ€“ finding someone to talk to about how you think and feel is another way to open yourself up to new ways of thinking and feeling. As Iโ€™ve mentioned many times, Iโ€™ve been seeing a life coach for 4 years now, and inside of those conversations, I get a whole different perspective on why I am thinking and feeling as I am. And, with a different perspective comes new possibilities.
  • Reflecting โ€“ one of my favorite parts of the process of getting to know yourself on a deeper level is reflection. I reflect often, and use the knowledge gained in my reflections to continue to move myself forward as a human being. Insights from reflecting can come at any time, however, creating quite time for yourself throughout the day, so you can reflect is important. If we are continuously plugged in and receiving stimulation, there is less time to reflect, and therefore less insight will come.

Alright, that concludes this post on the law of attraction.

Remember, we truly are what we think and feel. Our thoughts and feelings shape our perspective and thus our reality; and , it takes time and practice to begin to create new thought and feeling patterns, or habits, for ourselves.

Therefore, as you walk through your day today, begin to question your thoughts and feelings. And, make sure to create quiet time for yourself so you can begin to see why it is you think and feel as you do.

Once you begin to create time for yourself to reflect, you will get insights about yourself, which will create new possibilities for your life. And, itโ€™s inside of these new possibilities, where you can begin to create new thinking and feeling habits, which will create new experiences of the same world you lived in before.

And, through the law of attraction, you will begin to attract a whole new reality into your life.

#creatingyourlifeanew, #journaling, #lawofattraction, #lifecoach, #manifestations, #meditation, #perspectiveandreality, #practice, #reflecting, #talking, #thebody, #thoughtsandfeelings, #writing