Quietly

Dignity ~ a proud and upright bearing, 

character speaking quiet volumes 

of inner strength and wisdom 

no matter a regal nature or an impoverished bank account. 

Dignity learned from where or whom? 

There is much talk of dying with dignity,

when there is little dignity in death, 

but great dignity in living into death. 

All too morbid for my mind right now, 

too distant for my living right now. 

Dignity in living sometimes not achieved 

in situations spinning out of control 

drenched in loneliness and fear. 

We, as the other, step up and share our own dignity 

to help those who suffer so much more than we imagine.

Dignity is not arrogant, but filled with kindness

Kindness, humility and strength.

“Nothing is so essential as dignity…

Time will reveal who has it and who has it not.”

~ Elizabeth Gilbert, The Signature of All Things

Just Because

Nice.

Niceness.

Nice guys finish last?

People seem to like ‘nice’ people

yet ‘nice’ is often minimized

pale, retiring and too soft

easily swayed with the least breeze

of need and want for

an open door,

sharing a meal

offer of some aid

even letting someone fall so they will learn how to get up

little kindnesses with intent that only take moments

and lift many weights 

just because.

“It is nice to touch, it is nice to be touched, 

but it is so much nicer to touch someone’s heart.”

~ Dixie Waters, author

An Inside Job

Intuition speaks softly

without hesitation

Listening to intuition

is full of hesitation

Intuition speaks deep inside

a heartfelt gut feeling

Listening to intuition

jostles mind matters

Intuition speaks with assurance

with kindness and inner wisdom.

“You must train your intuition - you must trust the small voice

 inside you which tells you exactly what to say, what to decide.”

~  Ingrid Bergman

Silver and Gold

Knowledge is a big word 

heavily loaded with books and data and research findings

until, 

like the pile of books brought home

from high school with homework 

for work at home it becomes too heavy to carry.

But knowledge does not just come from books 

but from what our eyes see and 

our ears hear, 

our senses sense 

as truth or dare

from grandma’s kitchen or grandfather’s knee

from dad’s workbench, or mom’s sewing room

until we know, we just know, 

what is right without looking it up 

on Google or 

in a dictionary or 

in a history book 

to make certain our knowledge is correct.

Knowledge has a silver lining of kindness and understanding

and within it’s centre a soft golden nugget of truth.

“Any fool can know. The point is to understand.”

~ Albert Einstein

Kindness Defined

Knowledge

Intuition

Niceness

Dignity

Nobility

Ethical

Service

Sensitivity

“Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”

~ Mark Twain

Each and Every Day

There’s more

than just a pill or two 

for this life with epilepsy

there's quality sleep, 

  managing stress and 

    knowing all my limits

for me these things I cherish

in each and every day

It's also balance

a key to limits and life

but not a second to minute to an hour 

but a flow-through of ups and downs in each and every day

The rewards

have been in great abundance 

in health, happiness, career and independence

with exercise, rest and a drama free life

in each and every day

There are more rewards

as abundance grows and grows

for family, friends and colleagues abound.

I am fulfilled and challenged 

in seconds, minutes and hours

of each and every day.

“Live as big as you can, with what you’ve got.”

~ Jill Shalvis, Instant Attraction

Every Day

Every day I comb my hair, I wash my face, I take my pills…. Dilantin: little white capsules with an orange band

Once upon a time taking pills every day was an annoyance 

~ after I had finally decided to make it part of my life

After annoyance passed taking my pills was like combing my hair, washing my face ~ I brushed aside memories of 

the flatness before a seizure

the confusion after a seizure

the shame of having a seizure because

of forgetting to take little white capsules with the orange band.

of forgetting that triggers for a seizure are all around me

of believing that seizures won’t happen again

today those memories are as distant as my annoyance at taking

the little white capsules with the orange band every single day

Epilepsy is a part of me.

“Self-care is how you take your power back.”

~ Lalah, Delia