From a Spark

Motive comes from desire 

without shape or form, 

no rules or guidelines, 

merely belief that something 

be created, 

be accomplished, 

be written 

be hidden

or set aside until 

time or energy is right.

Motive is lit from a spark 

of curiosity 

or comes from a secret place 

that desires the light of day.

“The distance is nothing, when one has a motive.”

~ Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

Do I Dare?

Motivation slows 

while it stays inside me 

locked away, carefully set 

behind glass like some kind 

of caged bird 

that cannot be touched by this 

all to human heart and hand

Do I dare?

Dare to push aside 

all of the shiny distractions?

But then comes the 

What if’s and Should do’s

Daring me to open the glass cage,

to let motivation to fly free 

within this all to human heart and hand.

“No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings.”

~ William Blake, poet

 (1757 - 1827)

Keep on, Keeping’ On - MOMENTUM ~ Theme for May 2025

 

Motivation slows…..

Over and over……

Motive comes from…..

Energy is not necessary………

Nature walks……

Tick tock, tick tock……

Underneath it all…..

Marmalade march…….

“A river is easier to channel than to stop.”

~ Brandon Sanderson, Shadows of Self

Entitlement

After working through four shifts when the body has grown weary, the mind emptied of words, the only solution is some Sofa Time along with gratitude for the time and motivation to rest.

“A day of Rest is always needed.”

~ Solange nicole

- Personal Archaeology search returns tomorrow.

A Red Walker

She had a red walker.

A flat frame style without racing stripes.

She stepped on the bus.
She folded her red walker neatly,

tucked it beside her seat.

She folded herself quietly 
beside the red walker

while teens and young adults around

laughed, joked and texted.

A serious face without expression

but aware of those around her.

She sat in her stillness until

the bell rang for Stop Requested.

Rising, she unfolded her red walker

and stepped down from the bus 

as quietly as she had come,

mindful especially of her red walker

and returning home.

 “I always try to check my motivation and 

be mindful and present in the moment.”

~ The Dalai Lama, 

The World of Tibetan Buddhism

Fixing a Flat

Leverage is always useful

for lifting heavy weights ~

cars with flat tires come to mind.

But what of the mind

with no more air to breathe

motivation melancholic

  inspiration indifferent

    energy ebbed away.

What lever can lift these weights ~

threats that stall forward movement,

creating a lump of flesh that has become

a questionable use of space on this earth.

Sound too melodramatic?

     too histrionic?

        too emotional?

Absolutely - unless in the midst of the mud.

The human mind is a trickster

full of mischievous and dangerous deceit

yet with 

novel nuggets of knowledge

  basic bits of belief 

      intuitive iotas of insight

their leverage slips into muddied thoughts 

scrabbles beneath melancholy, indifference and energy ~

the simplicity of each tiny next step 

breathes puffs of air into the mind’s flat tire.

“It’s not necessary to do extraordinary things to get extraordinary results.

~ Warren Buffet

Walking for Inspiration

I went outside for a walk today to find some inspiration.
Words jumbled and jostled around in my head without participation.

Not being inspired, I surely felt like a lump.
Motivation was begging for a pump.

Who and when, what and why ~ the wording would not come.
So out to the street to visit with neighbours instead of sitting home.

It’s a futile task to stare at the page without a magic wand.
My wander outdoors was a coffee break, my book and journal in hand.

Reading and watching passersby, a frame penned for unruly thoughts,
then to the store, tossed a busker a coin, and a litre of cream I bought.

Home again, the page still blank, I’ve yet to copy my words.
Done this evening for sure, so tonight my rest is assured.

“Writing is a struggle against silence.”

~ Carlos Fuentes

Simply Medicine

Bright eyes and pleasant demeanor
Dark hair pulled back, smooth and shining
A stethoscope pulled from a brightly coloured bag
Curious and willing to learn from nurses and her physician mentor 

Orienting young nurses not an uncommon experience for me in my addictions nursing career
once in a while the opportunity arises to share my nursing knowledge and experience ~
welcome young doctors into this fascinating world of substance affected brain chemistry.

It was an inspiring morning working with this young ‘almost a doctor’
Her professional career just beginning with a sincere purpose driven interest in a world shadowed by stigma. Motivated by curiosity to care for people and any presenting medical problems, treating substance withdrawal with protocols, patience and kindness.

“We cannot change what we are not aware of, 

and once we are aware, we cannot help but change.”

~ Sheryl Sandberg, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead

Passing Flatness

The prairie’s passing flatness is full and broad,
glittering white in frigid winter, with unruly stalks of weed and grain still standing
plowed fields in warming spring, furrows plowed deep awaiting seed
quilted landscape stitched with fence posts and scrub brush in hazy summer
golden grains rustle and nod in autumn’s embrace
glorious skies host sunshine, cloud and meadow larks
thunderstorms roll, dramatically flinging drenching rain and hail
dusty sideroads, paved highways and power lines stretch town to town

All that flatness has inspired me to take one more step
seeing a forever distant horizon but knowing the land allows me to pass
echoing train whistles and growling tractors telling me
‘here are places to grow and there is much planting to be done’

“I like to think of landscape not as a fixed place but as a 

path that is unwinding before my eyes, under my feet.”

~  Gretel Ehrlich, “Landscape,”

Introduction to Legacy of Light (1987)

Keeping Secret

How does one talk about an inspiration that is not my personal secret to talk about?
Many secrets anonymously walk the streets of any town or city.
Tall or short, smiling and confident; parents or siblings; 
Non-descript or stunning; boring or entertaining; quiet or effusive ~
Secret stories of falling down and standing up and 
falling down and standing up again ~ how many times?
Too many to count………...
Always going full circle till balance is restored - one day at a time.
Motivated to avoid stigma?
Or just growing into normal?

“Many of the bravest never are known, and get no praise.

[But] that does not lessen their beauty….”

~ Louisa May Alcott

Discovery ~ #1

Inspired by my own words

not word crafting

revelations and reminders ~

who I was and still am

under layers of rules learned

from families, communities and workplaces

finding ways to develop core beliefs and practices

motivated by my own life

through word crafting

revelations and reminders ~

who I am and who I once was. 

“In your heart, you have a song that will change the world, 

once yougive yourself permission to sing.”

~  Vironika Tugaleva

Change of Heart

My intolerance surprises and embarrasses my heart ~
this judgment of others

A ‘nose up in the air’ attitude
stuffed away, packed tightly in a dark corner growing like a mushroom in the dark.

Confronted by this guilty secret in unexpected moments,
it must be taken out and really examined, even though inner eyes and ears are averted.

Motivated to change my attitude to one of acceptance
~ to forgive myself for being human ~
a change of heart evolves. 

“Individuals need to be willing to face truth about their 

attitudes, behaviours, even what we want out of life.”

~ Joyce Meyer

Taking Steps

Motivation moved me forward,
I stopped to take a breath;
inspired by the lives of others
my life learned width and depth.

With breath let out slowly
eyes lifted up to see
feet firmly set upon a path
chosen for whatever’s to be.

Motivation moves me forward,
I stop often to take a breath;
always inspired by others ~
life is full of width and depth.

“No matter how strange things get, know that with every breath 

you are becoming that which you have always been.”

~ Eric Micha’el Leventhal

The Business of Shoes

Tap, tap, tap - with energy and concentration
Whir, whir, whir - with focus and an eye for detail
The world of the cobbler - a slowly vanishing world.

The smell of leather soaked walls and floor
Old leather boots, amid sleek high heels, 
Sneakers and walking shoes
lined up, leaning against each other
stained wooden shelves bearing stories of many next steps
shoes waiting to be restitched, glued and fixed, 
shoes tagged at the heel for pickup

Each design and construct inspired by designers from around the world, 
shoes made by hand or marched through assembly lines…….
The shoemaker’s shop, a meeting place for shoes steeped in creativity
A cobbler tap, tap, tapping 
respecting the artistry and work of others 
motivated to run his shop by love of the craft and love of family.

“There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions 

as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.”

~ Denis Waitley

Rainy Day Reaction

May-Belle had no idea how she was going to get through the day. 

Opening her back door, coffee in hand, she stared at her land that shimmered in the heat.

The town, her home for many years, stretched away from her, while farmland stretched past her home on the edge of town, off into the horizon.

Intrigued by gathering clouds that blocked the sun, she shivered and put aside any thoughts of walking through her garden, glancing up at brave rain birds, thunder too distant too frighten them.

Vegetables ~ peas, beans, potatoes ~ May-Belle hoped there was no hail in the wicked looking cloud that hovered overhead.

A spit of rain hit the old wooden sidewalk, then fat drops landed in puffs on the dusty driveway.

Terrence, her chubby old cat, was ambling towards the house breaking into slow trot as the rain started coming down.

Instantly, May-Belle knew that if she didn’t go and get Terrence, she would have one muddy, wet cat clawing the already clawed screen door.

“Oh no you don’t come in here and destroy all of yesterday's house work just because you’re a fussy old thing!”

 Neglecting her earlier lethargy, May-Belle raced into the yard, picked Terrence up and jumped up on the open porch just as sheets of rain drenched the thirsty earth.

“It’s not the situation...it’s your reaction to the situation.

~ Robert Conklin