ALL AT ONCE

"Be ye therefore 'eloquent listeners.'" 

~ James Lendall Basford ~

If we can interact with others without an agenda,

And just be curious,

Genuinely curious,

About what it's like to be them, 

Then our connection exists at the level of authenticity,

And is vibrant and fresh

And relaxing

And solid

And loving

All at once. 

I listen, and in so doing, am somehow heard. 

MANAGING THE BEAST

"All sorrows are less with bread."

~ Miguel de Cervantes ~

When life requires an extra amount of effort,

Whether emotionally or physically,

Time careens us forward 

And we can inadvertently 

Go too long without eating,

And suddenly find ourselves a bit desperate,

And anxious,

And mis-emotional.

Food will fix it, but

It's so much better to not let it get that far.

I take care to eat at regular intervals, no matter what. 

THE ULTIMATE GIFT

"There is no grace in a benefit that sticks to the fingers."

~ Seneca ~

Though we might not always see and experience it this way,

The truth is that freedom, above all, is a gift. 

It's not something we can earn,

Or achieve.

It's something we are given, often without even realizing it,

Something we have to open

To receive.

I am grateful. 

PITCH DARKNESS

"When you possess light within, you see it externally."

~ Anais Nin ~

Sometimes life feels like we're standing

In a cave in the pitch dark

And can't see anything at all-

Not even our hand in front of us-

And we have to take a step.

It requires blind (literally) 

Trust.

And we may have to grope and stumble for a bit,

But eventually....

Eventually,

We will see some kind of light somewhere

And be able 

to move 

in its direction.

I trust the light. 

STICKING SEEDS

"People become attached to their burdens sometimes more than the burdens are attached to them." 

~ George Bernard Shaw~ 

I bought some lovely ornamental grass for the garden today, and when I loaded it into the car, I noticed that it shed its fluffy ends some. And when I unloaded it, I realized that the seeds were all over. They were stuck to a towel, and the floor rug, and the seat, and there was no blowing or shaking them out. They were lodged fast. I considered if that's what it did in my car, it would likely do that in the earth, so if these seeds were fertile, I may have just bought myself an invasive nightmare. 

I googled it to confirm, and yes indeed. There, online, were folks like me who had brought it home and planted it and now it was everywhere and impossible to control.

So-

I won't be planting this grass.

And I will remember the lesson, and notice all the ways it applies to life.

I watch for unwanted spreading of all kinds, and take care to stop it fast.

POSSIBILITY MEETS THE MIRACULOUS

"Things are only impossible until they're not."

~ Jean-Luc Picard ~

There are things we know,

And things that we know we don't know.

And then there is a whole other realm of 

Things that we don't know we don't know.

And that's where possibility meets the miraculous,

And synchronicity happens,

And all the dreams we didn't even know we had

Come true.

I stop thinking I have all the answers, and open to divine mystery. 

THE BEST WE CAN DO IS GOOD ENOUGH

"I used to worry about what other people think of me until I realized, they don't."

~ Colloquial Saying ~

I have to be vigilant at night when I'm tired

That my thoughts don't turn on me

And make me second guess every decision I've made during the day.

I seem to have this built in anxiety around 

What other people think,

Or might think,

About what I've said or done,

The world does not turn according to my plans and decisions. 

I am both smaller and larger than I think.