Poetry and Prose by #1 Amazon Bestselling Author of Nature Speaks of Love and Sorrow, Co-Author of #1 Amazon Bestseller, Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women, and Jan/Feb 2022 Spillwords Press Author of the Month
I am honored to have my new poem, Courage Resurrects, published at MasticadoresUSA. Thank you Barbara Leonhard for supporting my work, and for all that you do
I would be honored if you would go here, and read my new poem. Thank you!
Wishing you all a very Happy New Year!
May your 2023 be filled with peace, love, and joy, and may all of your dreams come true.
At home this month, I’ve been continuing to stay vigilant about the pandemic, which simply means that I am home often. The paradox about this reality is that the State of Oregon recently announced that they will be lifting the mask mandate by the end of March.
The news about lifting the mask mandate fills me with excitement and anxiety, which is very normal as these two emotions are closely related to each other. I also know wearing a mask is an individual choice, and I will continue to wear my mask until I choose differently.
Exciting news came by way of my oldest son Justin this month, as I learned that he has been placed at Mercedes Benz for his second and last University internship. Justin is extremely excited, and I am as proud as a parent can be.
The team and I have also just recently produced theSpring Term schedule of classes, which is always a lot of work, and is an exciting time in the department. Lastly, I’ve been preparing to welcome our new hire to the team, which will occur in about two weeks.
All in all, it’s been super busy, and, yep, super fun.
As you all know, I’ve been contemplating compiling and publishing a debut poetry book for some time.
When I learned about Ingrid Wilson’s new endeavor withExperiments in Fiction, which you can read more about here, it felt like the perfect opportunity and partnership.
Ingrid and I have signed an agreement, which means that sometime this fall/winter my debut poetry book will be available. I will keep you all updated as this moves forward.
I am so excited!
A Spillwords Nomination & A Poem
I was elated to find out Saturday that I was nominated for Author of the Month at Spillwords Press. If you have a moment, I would be honored if you would go here and cast your vote. Thank you!
Voting is open through Monday, February 28.
dreams encapsulate me a cocoon risen from the sea as I stare at the stars pleasingly
layers of pain & grief fall away as I float with clouds in sorrows of the past drowned
I’ve been reflecting upon and contemplating the concept of Spark the past two weeks. The concept arose organically within the team about two weeks ago.
In theyouth developmental literature, Spark is associated with the Thriving theoretical framework. In short, developing a youth’s spark is positively correlated with thriving indicators and outcomes.
The above referenced article is decent, and here is a short two pagetheoretical framework, which includes the definition of spark listed below, developed by my graduate school advisor, Mary E. Arnold.
“A spark is a passion for a self- identified interest or skill, or a capacity that metaphorically lights a fire in a young person’s life, providing energy, joy, purpose, and direction” —Mary E. Arnold
Pragmatically, it simply means that when a person is ignited and excited from within, they feel better, and are more engaged and empowered.
It’s a very important practice to develop this kind of excitement on teams and within organizations. Actually it’s important for each of us as human beings on this planet to make sure our spark is always ignited, which is why I wanted to write about it this month.
If you have a spark and know what it is, amazing; if not, you can develop it at any time, and if your spark has dwindled, which happens, you can also reignite it at any time.
Spark is not a static concept, following a linear trajectory. Passion and excitement wax and wane, and they also change directions; and, that is okay. What’s most important is to always fuel our passion for life; and when that passion wanes, to reimagine and reignite it.
I felt impelled to write here that I stand with the citizens of Ukraine, and vehemently oppose the actions Russia is taking. Strength and power come through peace and love, not through war and violence. The latter are the products of egotism and narcissism, the former, of beauty and solidarity.
My love, blessings, and prayers for safety go out to everyone in Ukraine.
Alright, that’s all for this month.
Sending you all love, and wishing you a beautifully blessed March.
A couple of weeks ago I gave a talk about connection. More specifically, it was titled, the Year of Continued Connection. The talk was delivered at our Community Education Instructor Forum. An event we’ve been planning and delivering for, well, almost three years now.
After the talk, I continued to reflect upon the conversation with the instructors, and the concepts they brought up, and just how important connection is in our lives. In many ways, it is the bedrock of many concepts we cherish, such as relationships, engagement, an open heart, kindness, care, and yes, compassion.
When we are deeply connected to our own humanity, we get a larger picture of our shared humanity, which increases the humility and compassion we have for ourselves, and everyone else.
In this post, I would like to elaborate on a few of the concepts outlined above as I understand them in their relation to connection. Ready? Good. Here we go.
Relationships – as I’ve written about many times, all of our relationships start with the relationship we have with ourselves. The connection we have with ourselves is the same connection we will have with the people in our lives. It just works that way. There was a time when I wondered why it was that my relationships weren’t as strong as I would have liked them to be; bottom line? The relationship I had with myself was not strong. Simple.
Engagement – when we are in relationship with ourselves, and then the people we surround ourselves with, it means that we are engaged. Engagement in this context means we have easy and difficult conversations. Both. When we hold ourselves accountable, we will do the same for everyone else, which makes navigating our relationships harder. Though harder, when we hold ourselves accountable, we get back relationships that have a deeper connection. Why? Because we are real, we are speaking our truth. That’s it.
Open Heartedness – when we are in engaged relationships there will be difficult times. For us, and for the people we love. However, when we are engaged, we won’t run, we will stand by their side, and stand for those we love, just as we stand for ourselves. And, when we are standing, we are being open to all that life gives us. We don’t pick and choose the times we are engaged and willing to stand for ourselves and the people we love. We do it all the time. Without thinking. It just happens. We create more openness within ourselves because we are living through experiences that we may have run from before; and, when we stand through all of the stormy times, our connection to ourselves and the people we love deepens even further.
Kindness – with our hearts more open in these engaged relationships, we develop more kindness for ourselves and everyone else. It happens as a result of continuing to navigate all of life’s triumphs and challenges. In essence, we become a kinder human being, because we’ve been through more challenges. We’ve become more vulnerable; and, when we become more vulnerable, yes, we get stronger, and we get kinder. All of which also creates a more intense connection with ourselves and the people we love.
Care – when we are kind, engaged, and open-hearted in our relationships, we develop more care. We have a better understanding of the human condition, and what it takes to stand for ourselves and the people we love. Every day. And, as we do this work, a deeper awareness develops within ourselves, which includes a deeper connection of care to everyone and everything.
I also like to think about connection in regard to three other concepts. Here they are.
Safety – when we stand for ourselves and other human beings, we stay engaged, regardless of the situation. A result of increased engagement is safety. When we know we won’t run at the first sight of trouble, people feel safe. And, when people feel safe with you, they will be much more connected.
Security – as a sense of safety develops in your relationships, a sense of security also develops. It has to. When we feel safe, we also feel secure. Secure in the knowledge that our relationships are a place where we don’t have to worry or create anxiety over people leaving us, or being upset with us. Now, that doesn’t mean there will never be disagreements, or even arguments; what it does mean is that people will respect each other, and speak their truth, without fear of reprisal. That’s security.
Stability – and, when we feel safe and secure, we also feel stable. The relationship we have with ourselves is more stable, which means all of our relationships are more stable.
When we have safety, security, and stability in our relationships, we have a deeper connection to those we love. It also means that we know when a relationship is not going to work. Whereas this is difficult, we stay true to our truth. The knowing we have of the kind of relationship we are creating, and want to have. Therefore, we are much more clear on the people we allow into our lives. In fact, we have much more clarity about humanity in general. Beautiful.
With more clarity about our own humanity, we are much more clear on all humanity. I’ve written this sentence differently many times. Yet, it is such an important part of deepening our connection with ourselves and the people we love.
When we have authentic relationships, we are working hard on them all the time. And, as we do the hard work, we go through many challenges. These challenging times show us more about our own humanity, and then our collective humanity.
For instance, we can read every book ever written on being vulnerable, yet the only way to really know about vulnerability is to practice being vulnerable. It is the only way. Without the practical experience of being vulnerable, vulnerability is just information in our heads; we leave our hearts behind.
Yet, when we are open to all of the experiences life gives us, we get to learn so much more. And, it is inside of these learnings where we further deepen our connection with ourselves and everyone else.
As we deepen our connections, we also develop more compassion. We develop more compassion, because as we go through more challenges, we develop a new understanding of how hard life can be; and with this new experiential knowledge, the compassion we have for ourselves and everyone else deepens.
When we are more compassionate, we are also more patient, and have more love for people when they are struggling, because we can see ourselves in them. And, for me, one of the most magical experiences of my practice of self-inquiry over the past four years has been seeing myself in other people. It is a beautiful experience.
Remember, every connection we have in life starts with the one we have with ourselves. When we have a deep connection with ourselves, we will have a deeper connection with the people we love, and we will also become a more compassionate human being. And, guess what?
Fears abound As we progress, and Distress over everything little thing
That transpires upon the wire A balancing act, where we sway With even the gentlest breeze,
Losing our balance While gripping to our fear Of what is seen through the valance
An illusion
Proven time and again, yet We continue to buy-in, To that which is seen and heard,
Like?
That very beautiful bird, a mystery Deluge of the cloistered senses Ever pleasant and on fire For more presents,
Gifts from the unknown realms Where safety reigns supreme,
Like?
That elm tree, Solid and anchored deep Even though the roots are hardly seen
Safe and strong, Know that you always belong, To that which is unseen, and is
Such a silent mystery, and Also a part of our collective history, so
Remember, you are safe As you look out through that valance Don’t be deceived, rather be retrieved, For it’s in your heart’s heart that you truly do believe
Have you ever thought about how relationships work? I mean how they function within the systems and spheres that we move through? It is an interesting question, and one that we will explore in this post.
Now, in this post, we are going to expand on this simple relationship diagram, so we can see the movement that occurs through each of these relationship spheres. Let’s start with the relationship we have with ourselves, as it really does all start there.
Relationship with ourselves
In the post, The Self-Development Tips Series 1: The Art of Loving Yourself, I write about the importance of developing a highest-quality relationship with ourselves. That, in fact, learning how to love ourselves is the very first step in having other high-quality relationships. It is a must. Really.
Without a high-quality relationship with ourselves, we cannot create high-quality relationships with others. Why? Because if we don’t know how to take care of ourselves, to love ourselves, we cannot give care and love out to others. Not in a sustainable way.
We must first develop deep care and love for ourselves, then that same deep care and love will go out from us to others.
Once we have a high-quality relationship with ourselves, we can truly be there for our family. In being there, I mean have open, honest, and loving communication with each other; developing those high-quality relationships along the way.
When we are inattentive to our emotions, and are reacting without pausing, there is a higher likelihood that arguments with our partners will become more common. These pauseless reactions also function the same way with and toward our children.
It is important to note that we are not reacting to our environments in this way intentionally. Fully understanding how we are reactive, includes learning about our “triggers.” What are they, whom are they with, and why do we have them? Once we know, we can create space to pause, think and reflect, and then choose a different action.
All of which when combined with having a loving relationship with ourselves, free of blame and shame, creates whole new possibilities with the relationships we have with our family.
In the post, Three Transformational Leadership Skills, I write about developing high-quality relationships at work. Developing these relationships, like the ones we have with family, also starts with ourselves.
Once we are clear on who we are, and how we think and feel, we can develop work relationships that are strong and long-lasting. In the article I note three essential skills all leaders should develop in order to create these high-quality relationships.
Authenticity – knowing who we are is the first step, then being who we are all the time is the next.
Safety – creating a safe environment with the team you lead, or work on, is essential. People will not be authentic with you unless you are also authentic, and they feel safe.
Transparency – being forthright about the state of the business, and issues that arise, are also important. Sharing with the people you work with is important for them to feel included, and valued.
These three skills, of course, are also important for us to develop in our personal lives. It works like that. What we develop for ourselves, we end up developing for everyone around us.
Relationships with the Communityand The Greater World
How we develop ourselves, and our relationships then goes out from us and into the community, and, yes, the greater world. When we create a focus on our inner development, people around us develop, and the community also develops. That is movement.
The movement is part of the way the relationship network, or system works. Here is a simple illustration that goes a bit further than the above referenced system image, showing that we are connected through everyone we know, ultimately, to all people.
By continuing to add more contexts into the above illustration, you can create more complexity in how the relationship system is interwoven.
Ultimately we are connected to everyone, and everything, and what we give out, comes back to us. All contexts are also connected, sometimes directly, and sometimes indirectly, as the above illustration also shows.
Whether the connection is direct or indirect matters less, than the realization that all that we do on this planet as human beings touches each other in some way. Important.
Relationships are so important. Really. The relationship we have with ourselves is the starting point, and, as you can see, it is only the beginning of how we, as human beings, end up touching everyone and everything around us. Even when we don’t know about it.
These relationships and all that we give and get from them are crucial to moving society forward. Without them, there would be no movement.
Know that every action you take to develop and grow yourself also grows your family, friends, teams, organizations, communities, and the greater world.
Develop. Inspire. Transform. 