A Hungry Bird

Need for something is like 

a hungry bird on your shoulder. 

It does not want for anything 

~ only a few grains to eat, 

while I sit here wanting 

the furniture to be different. 

Need for something is also

sunshine on my face, 

wind in my hair, 

sharing beauty, voice and kindness

 

I will not die or turn green without 

those simple things, but my insides 

will shrivel until I become that hungry bird.

“Here’s to the moment when you realize

 the simple things are wonderful and enough.”

~ Jill Badonsky, The Awe-manac: A Daily Dose of Wonder

Time Slips By

In body and soul, 

time slips by as

the wants and needs

of life and limb

wait for our attention.

“You may delay, but time will not.”

~ Benjamin Franklin

Through the Cracks ~ QUALITY 2 ~ Theme for May 2019

Quite necessary……

Usually a goal….

Acting from within…..

Listening to…

Integrity shines…..

Tip-Toeing through…..

Yesterday began…….

“Quality is not an act, it is a habit.”

~ Aristotle

Within ~ 2

Uniqueness, a belief held that each of us is special. But only when we’re children.  When we have parents, mentors and other loved ones to tell us so. The challenge is to maintain that belief as we grow, enter and participate in the world of adulthood. A world where we become the adults that tell others they are unique and special. A world where efficiency and conformity, standardization goes against the grain of uniqueness. The worlds of art, writing, and creativity do not fit such molds, discouraged as being unrewarding. Unless of course one does something so awe inspiring that the ‘experts’ applaud our achievements and the rewards are many. 

Most of us will continue in proscribed lives out of necessity: putting clothes on our backs, food on the table and a roof over the heads of our families. We must find and nurture our uniqueness in relationships with others or in personal quiet corners. It does not have to be grand and awe-inspiring to others, only a spark of specialness that rewards us quietly. In relationship with others, we have an opportunity to share that same authenticity and create something quite beautiful. 

“[E]ach of our voices has something unique to say. 

Not only should I not mold my life to the demands of 

external conformity; I can’t even find the model by 

which to live outside myself. I can only find it within.”

 Charles Taylor, Multiculturalism

Out on a Limb

Bringing back a schedule seems

rather like a step backwards

unless it is setting it by myself.

Squares on a charming wall

calendar set up chosen activities

with flexible variations depending

on the next right thing

to be done even it is laundry

or paying bills - life’s necessities.

Bringing back a scheduled life

in this seasonal change of retirement 

grants me some control in each day.

“Hard is trying to rebuild yourself, piece by piece, with no instruction book, 

and no clues to where all the important bits are supposed to go.”

~ Nick Hornby, A Long Way Down

One Stop Shopping

Necessary items stacked

higgledy piggledy in shopping carts.

Food for pangs of hunger 

not necessarily for nourishment

but delicious pastries all the same

water bottled and packaged

a bouquet of flowers perched 

on top of rolls of paper towels

beside fresh French baguettes

fresh fruits and vegetables spaced

midst the overflowing abundance.

“The art of our necessities is strange

 that can make vile things precious.”

~ William Shakespeare, King Lear

So How Are We Different?

Life with chronic disease

life with minor cuts and bruises 

    regular, day to day bumps, trips or falls.

Even with a condition well controlled,

we still have ordinary trips, falls or bumps.

Some folks ~ too many ~

have conditions so brittle that little is ordinary.

Invisible Stop signs, Caution signs and Yield signs 

decorate walls, floors and ceilings ~

the clothes we wear inside and outside of our homes.

But what makes us different?

discussion

    planning, 

        sometimes daily, 

    depends on

• control and management
• doctors’ appointments, emergency rooms, 
• wary of time frames, noise and light levels
• in general, rule changes to societal norms

But are we really that different?

Inside our hearts and minds,

desires and hopes, 

    dreams and wishes, 

        goals and aspirations.

For some, all of these things can be pursued and often won.

For the individual with brittle epilepsy, 

heavily treated with medication or surgery,

hopes, dreams and aspirations become

    shunted or shattered,    

        dulled 

            many times forgotten.

But don't similarities trump differences?

Each soul touched lightly or heavily

by the calamities of epilepsy

still need shelter and food,

love, belonging, and self actualization.

Abram Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs 

does not identify health conditions!

So how are we different?

Only in expression of our basic neurology

our brain function gifts 

that cannot be re-gifted but

must be accepted,

along with ordinary 

    bumps and bruises, 

        trips and falls.

The Problem of Invisibility

Harry Potter wore an invisibility cloak sleuthing at Hogwarts Castle.

His image vanished,  

abilities focussed on his mission,

speech hushed.

If anyone, wearing an invisibility cloak,

walked across a busy street

sat at a dinner table with friends

shopped for groceries

greeted a guest at the door

tried to dress under the cloak

applied for a job

attended classes 

looked in a mirror

would there be gains - or losses?

Whether wearing an invisibility cloak or not, 

mobility

nourishment

warmth

employment

education

image

are still requirements for life, living and community.

Harry Potter’s cloak was a gift of protection from his father, 

to be used at his discretion.

“It’s dangerous to be invisible.

People may forget that you are there.”

~ Duncan McCue, 

January 27, 2013, CBC Radio, Spark