if you would know
the secret to healing
it is this:
the answer
lies not
in despair.
Tag: mindfulness
it is what it is.
Because it is.
That’s why.
This is the life you were given.
It has meaning simply because it exists.
Don’t run from it.
Face it.
Face the ugly parts,
the beautiful parts,
and especially the parts
that are beautiful and ugly at the same time.
Don’t try to reason with it.
Life does what it wants.
It won’t ask for your opinion,
and worrying won’t alter its course.
Life chooses us.
Our own choice lies in response, not in circumstance.
There is comfort in realizing you don’t have to orchestrate it all.
Given time, most things take care of themselves.
When we feel we have been denied something,
we miss what we have been given.
Honor:
the wound, not the victimhood;
the emotions, not the drama;
the pain, not the resistance to it.
Your coordinates in time and space are merely a starting point.
More important than what you make of it
is how you allow it to move you;
what you allow to bridge the gap
between form and possibility.
off to work (note to self)
I will try not to think about the hours
or count down the minutes.
If I need a rest, I will take one, whether it’s an actual break, a deep breath, or a gesture of
self-compassion.
If I need stimulation, I will seek it in a healthy way in the moment.
If I get bored, I will remember that it is my responsibility to engage an element of
interest.
If I encounter a challenge, I will trust myself and have confidence that I can handle it,
step by step.
If I want the day to be over already, I will bring my attention deeply into acceptance of
the present moment.
If the present moment contains discomfort, I will hold it and be with it rather than
push it away.
what if
what if
pain isn’t always wrong
tired isn’t always bad
boredom isn’t wasted time
what if
life isn’t about
feeling good
but about
finding meaning
what if
you create meaning
simply by
accepting discomfort
what if
no longer expecting
to feel good
is strangely liberating
what if
you can just rest
knowing that
who you are
where you are
exactly how you are
is just right.
what comes alive for you
What comes to life
at your touch
What meets your eyes
and looks back?
In what do you breathe
the breath of life
In whom do you place
your faith?
Who looks at you
and sees a hero
Which winds kiss
your face?
What seals your hands
together in prayer
What forces buckle
your knees?
When and where
do you bow your head
Where do you rest
when you’re weary?
Whose ears can you trust
to listen
Whose words do you take
for truth?
Whose smiles are
the sun to you
Whose voice
a lifelong echo?
A hint: instead of answers
seek wonder.
living proof
if I may be anything
let me be living proof
that one can feel
the unbearable darkness
yet be whole in Spirit;
that intermittently
through the dark
will be moments of blinding light
& to be overcome
by the weight of it all
does not make you wrong
does not make you unholy
unclean
or unworthy
most of all
it cannot take the light from you.
let me be living proof
that you can be
both light & dark
it doesn’t make you crazy
it just makes you
a fervent student of acceptance;
you cannot control the darkness
nor can you banish it forever
but you can decide
to receive the light
to clear a space for it
invite it
with prayer
reflection
or tokens
of your most precious
memories & dreams;
clearing the space
may be messy
maddening
& seem
like more of a mess
than when you started
(clearing
is not the same
as cleaning)
but you’ll know you’ve cleared space
if inside it feels lighter
if you can breathe easier
if you feel you’re not alone
& despite the shadow
that trails behind
you’re ready
to carry on.
in between
if action eludes me
may I have faith enough
to be content
with possibility.
intention
good news
for the hopeless:
to set an intention
means to plan
for hope
even if
especially if
you don’t feel it yet;
to set an intention
means to plan
for faith
not because you feel it
but because you dare;
intention
comes from the Latin
for stretch
& set
is an old word
for sit;
so
to set an intention
is to sit with yourself
no matter how hopeless
burned out
weary
even faithless
you feel.
& as you sit with yourself
& all of your pain
in time you may find
your spirit moves
stretches
reaches
through it
in a way that can only
be described as
miraculous.
so sit with yourself
dear one
& reach.
the cure
if you feel sick
you probably need to create something.
(illness
=
blocked creative
energy
?)
the cure:
allow yourself to be sick for a while
& see what comes up.
reason
maybe it’s not so much that everything happens for a reason
but that you can make a reason out of everything that happens.
face to face with the sky 