E. E. Cummings Quote

Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.

e. e. cummings

First, find all the parts of you that have been scattered and hidden over the years. Life does that to you. It pushes you around trying to get you to lose yourself, in order to conform to its ways. But there’s so much of you worthy of trusting of believing in. Don’t go out without giving yourself a chance to shine. It took me some time to finally trust myself. The one things that helped me most was getting rid of all the toxic people in my circle. The ones that didn’t have my best intentions in mind. Once I purged my circle, I began to heal. I began to give the positive parts of me more attention and my belief in myself my art my abilities grew stronger over time. I still am aware of my shortcomings and realize that I’m not perfect but at the same time, I’m good enough. And that works for me.

Have you found parts of yourself that you’re proud of? For me, I’m proud of my ability to try new things and accept that I’m a beginner. This is important to me because for sooo long, I was too afraid to even try new things. Now I try them scared. My life is fuller and more rich for it.

Inevitable Unpreventable Change,

then there’s you.

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.

Barack Obama

In honor of presidents day I share this quote from Obama. Things change whether we wait for it or not. Time marches on and we have not one ounce of control. I spent time wishing the world could stop and give me time to grieve my losses. It didn’t stop so I pressed on. I pressed on with more rest. With gentle words. With more self care than I normally needed but I pressed on all the same. Change happened when I didn’t want it and it happened when I created it. This speech isn’t about the philosophy of inevitable unpreventable change. It’s about being an intentional member of your community.

It’s about being the one that takes the action when you see a problem. It’s about investing your gifts and talents in a mindful way that can positively impact those around you. If we all waited for someone else to improve our cities, towns, schools, communities, churches, families, small groups …, we would all still be waiting. We wouldn’t have one thing on that list.

In what ways are you being the change you seek?

Don’t lose hope, your reaction to change is where your freewill lives. That’s where you get to decide.

Come Out Come Out Where Ever You Are

There’s this story you’ve been waiting to write. There’s these words that pop into your head as if they’ve lived there since before you were born. I don’t know where your words come from. Maybe they were there before you were born. What I do know is that words have power and sharing your story frees those words from your cranium. Just think, you can give your words an entire world to live in. You can add to them, embellish them, make sure they are heard by everyone in your story.

Here’s the thing about hiding away, it might feel comfortable for a little while, but it gets lonely, dark, and boring. There’s no growth there. There’s no freedom. There’s especially not connection. Hiding just goes to show that there’s something big out there waiting for you. You know it’s big and you can feel it but sometimes the things that feel so big are just shadows being cast on the wall. Here’s the secret, that shadow, that thing that feels so big that it makes you want to run and hide, that’s the art.

Where are you writing?

For Us

If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.

At the same time, doing what you love and maintaining that love takes vulnerability and consistency. In this world they’ll make you think that doing what you love is too expensive and loving what you do is childish. There was many times in the workplace that my light was dimmed for the simple fact that it irritated people. Loving your job pokes at the wounds of those that are making themselves suffer. The truth is they can easily find another place where they thrive. But wait, this post isn’t about others. This is about us choosing joy, peace, and happiness by defining what that looks like, then working at it everyday until waking up and showing up brings you nothing but the chosen values. I want that for us. Show up. Face your ghosts. Face potential heartbreak. Don’t sit on the sidelines. There’s more that awaits you on the other side of fear.

All I ask, is that you create a place where we can grow and thrive together.

Monster Creation

I’m here for you.

In Frankenstein, we learn that a creation left unattended can turn into a monster. He wanders around looking for a sense of belonging. Looking for purpose, love, community. All these things could have been provided by Frankenstein but he was too ashamed of his work to invest in it. To ashamed to look at and listen to where his creation was lacking. It’s interesting how much I can relate. The vulnerability that comes with sharing my writing, especially my most recent novel. makes me want to run and hide. On the plus side, I want to finish it more than I want to hide. I’ve reached a point of desperation with this thing and will accept all the help my inner creative will allow. I wanna stick this thing out. I want my art to have a place in this world. I’ll do what it takes to create that.

Change Comes

There is nothing permanent except change.

Heraclitus

I don’t like change especially when things are going good (enough). At the same time, I believe there’s a world out there that provides more than enough. I say that as someone who is not deeply rewarded by the dollar but rewarded by growth and accomplishment. By gaining perspective and understanding. I don’t want to be out here chasing empty endeavors. I want to be out here living with a liberated soul, with freedom to create, and the space to mind my mind.

Sounds like the perfect place for me is the library. Oh how I miss my library days.

Climate Change and Our Temperament

Sunday Reflections

Imagine a world where our climate is controlled by our temperament. Our happiness would warm the world up and our mourning would make the temperatures more frigid. What temp would anger bring?

It’s interesting. It reminds me of Persephone and her mother, Demeter. It’s an interesting myth that explains the seasons. When Persephone is with Hades, Demeter grows sad and stops tending to the plants. Her sadness brings fall and winter and when Persephone returns, Demeter, who’s happy again, begins to tend to the earth, which explains spring and the warmer months. I do love this story.

How much more would we appreciate sadness knowing that that’s the only way to bring winter. To balance out our earth with seasons. I say that as a lover of all our seasons. I’m sure the desert areas have their perks too.

I don’t want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them.

Oscar Wilde

Daily Habits

What daily habits are you doing for yourself?

I’ve stepped away from social media before bedtime and first thing when I wake up. I used to allow myself to use my phone to let go of my day and settle down. I don’t feel like it harmed me but I do feel like my time could be better utilized.

If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude.

Colin Powell