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Saturday, January 5, 2019

Voices of Change




Ideas that are given voice
whether in whispers or with passion
provide resilience to our lives.

Ideas that are given the energy
of belief and hope
surge forward in waves.

Ideas that are given freedom
outside of boxed in routines
shift what has always been done.


“If you want something new, 
you have to stop doing something old.”
~ Peter Drucker, American-Austrian educator

Friday, January 4, 2019

Slippage


Slipping out of our comfort zones 
sometimes feels like
stepping on a banana peel 

landing hard
ego bruised with embarrassment,
taking a deep breath

wiping any stray tears away
(but there’s never any tears)
standing tall - or at least tallish -

peering into a new world.
We are, after all, resilient,
able to set one foot after the other

to find the intrigue and mystery
of exploring our own limits
finding a world more than we have ever known.

“A man grows most tired while standing still.”
~ A Chinese Proverb

Thursday, January 3, 2019

Sustenance





Eating our daily bread is a privilege taken for granted ~
the memory fading
into cellophane, plastic and styrofoam.

But taste and aroma draw out
resilient memories of brushing garden soil from carrots and potatoes with a freshness longed for.

Eating our daily bread 
is a joy deemed precious ~
when we find freshness without
cellophane, plastic or styrofoam.

“We all eat & it would be a sad waste of opportunity to eat badly.”
~ Anna Thomas, screenwriter

Wednesday, January 2, 2019

Nuances

Reading between the lines is tempting.....
tempting magical thinking and misplaced expectations

Reading between the lines is tempting….
tempting fearful thoughts and misplaced
guilt feelings

Reading between the lines is tempting….
tempting us to see life’s joyful magic,
expecting wonder

Reading between the lines is tempting….
tempting us to confront our fears in order to find our courage

Reading between the lines can be….
the birth place of resilience.

“There’s a much deeper and meaningful conversation 
being conducted in the space between the lines.”
~ Dave Cenker, Second Chance



Tuesday, January 1, 2019

On the Inside



Reading between the lines…….
Eating our daily bread……
Slipping out of our comfort zones…….
Ideas that are given…….
Lasting friendships that build…….
Items that are only crumbs
Easing into our own……….
Never forgetting who…….
Creating zones of………
Yesteryear’s experiences expand into…………..

“Resilience has a normal rhythm. You may not feel indestructible 
this morning but tomorrow you will be strong.”
~ Neil Mach, The Bedevilment of Bertie Lunn

Monday, December 31, 2018

Forces of Change

We all take the bits and pieces of ideas that others discuss sometimes tasting whole chunks. Sometimes we will try something out to see how it works in our life. If it doesn’t work the way it was envisioned, it gets discarded. Or we just get bored with a ‘brilliant’ idea that turned out to be only ‘brilliant’ at the time. David Cain, a Winnipeg writer and blogger (raptitude.com), discussed his idea for the year of 2018 of going deeper not wider in daily life. His initial suggestion was to not buy anything new which tweaked my interest. Any of his ideas and previous experiments could have fit into the categories I mentioned. In January for 2018, I tried Depth Year on for my own life, being unaware of the emotions that would be stirred as I proceeded. It started out with not buying anything new. It was a success for the most part, but the feelings it engendered without the newness were feelings of deprivation and poverty. Very uncomfortable and frightening at a time when I was contemplating retirement. I was not looking forward to the very scary, and for some all too real, ‘bag lady’ image. But, I had made a commitment to try this Depth Year and make it a good try, not one to toss away as soon as the emotional going got a bit tough. At the same time, I also gave myself permission to back off and out if I truly believed it would not be a good fit for me.

The success of this little experiment has been felt in nuances and colour. The most important has been attitude shifts about how and why to proceed in daily life. Important enough to extend this little experiment into 2019. To keep looking in depth into my life. Should something scary pop up at me like a mischievous jack-in-the-box, stop and really look at what reality has to say. This New Year of 2019 has no clairvoyance to it. Merely projections and what if’s countered by hopes and dreams. Threats of doom and gloom balanced by personal courage, wisdom and the will to live wholesome lives. At this years end, I believe in the possibility of renewed and growing lives. Only with each step that we take, will we provide 2019 with success, not necessarily in dollars and cents, but laughter, learning and sometimes crying. Maybe a little luck, some magic or some other unseen force helps life move along just when we have given up. Being patient while the magic happens is key, along with hope, faith and belief in life and love.

“May the force be with you.”
~ George Lucas, Starwars

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Chance or Choice ~ 1

I’m in the midst of cleaning my oven. Actually I just wiped it out a bit, set the racks aside, closed the door and pressed a couple of sensors on the control panel. The door locked and the three hour cleaning cycle began. Sounds like I’m in the cockpit of some kind of flying machine, not in my own kitchen.  

Friday afternoon, I was in a large chain grocery store to purchase my bus pass for January, 2019. I was standing behind a man who was very disheveled, seriously needed clean clothes and proper shoes rather than dirty bedroom slippers. I had seen this gentleman several times over the last many months of taking the bus. His purchases were small, but he didn’t have the extra forty cents to complete the transaction.

This is the disparity of my world and the worlds of many others. There are many layers of society between, above and below. There are just as many reasons for the places we each find ourselves. We can be judgmental - as my private mind was - as I tried not to breathe as I stood behind him. Or as I saw that his purchase was the cheapest, smallest package of cigarettes that was available. We can be patient with those who are in obviously unfortunate circumstances. We can be charitable in sharing our own good fortune. Or we can stay judgemental and angry, impatient with the store for letting ‘such people’ in the doors. 

Compassion, not pity, but genuine compassion seems one wise choice for a response. Compassion may only be in our silent, private minds because many of us don’t know what to do about deprivation. Gratitude is another response. Gratitude for our own level of privilege is another wise choice that provides a good accompaniment to compassion. That response may encourage us to spend what little we may have, whether in time volunteering or in donations as simple as some change in a cup or a hat. 

“No man was ever wise by chance.”
~ Lucius Annaeus Seneca