thank you for being you

When I become stuck in comparison
between me and her
or me and them
or me and that
I remember this summer
when my uncle hugged me and whispered,
“thank you for being you”
and I remind myself
what a gift I am, just as I am,
and my neck becomes a little taller
my chest proud
and I say to myself,
“thank YOU for being YOU.”

clouds gifting chances

Clouds drape over each other
across the sky above,
a soft barrier between the sun and the earth.

Gifting the sun a chance
to be alone with herself
in private
permission to take a restful day.
Her rays permeate the clouds still
without needing to show her full self.

Gifting the earth a chance
to reacquaint with the coolness of coming fall,
embracing the act of letting go
and slowing down, slowly.
Gifting the earth and her inhabitants
opportunities to re-calibrate with the energy shift
and look ahead to changes still awaiting.

Breathe deep, slow breaths
of the cool, soft air
beneath the gray and fluffy blanket
draped over and around us.

last day of a decade

This last day of a decade
presents with more importance than yesterday
even though that day too
was the end of a decade.
As is every day.

Tomorrow I will leave a decade behind
and enter a new one.
While society tells me how momentous this is,
I see it as another day,
another day gifted to me to be alive, here,
on this Earth as I am,
like today.
That, alone, is more than enough for me.