movie opportunity

After we lose connection
we almost always have the opportunity
to reconnect.
The movies sell us this idea
with dramatic music and obvious build-up
to the main event,
where broken hearts are whole once more.

Life is not like the movies.
We do not hear background music or see dramatic irony
to know when we are on the path
to re-connection.
In times like these,
maybe what we need to listen for
are the silent streets
and seldom-heard sounds within our own homes
to build the movie suspense.
We, right now,
have an opportunity to reconnect with the selves
we have lost in the midst of the non-stop,
chaotic lives that came to a halt,
because of another organism
who finally got its turn in the spotlight.

We can reconnect with ourselves,
the souls we call our own
and the souls of those near and dear.
Before we live in regret
we can repair those broken links
and make our hearts whole, and healed,
again.

This is the opportunity
to take over the script, and dialogue, of our movie.

Will you pick up a pen?

how fast change happens

We can see
hundreds of different sunsets
all in one night,
a kaleidoscope of colors,
where to look away even for a minute
and look back again,
decorates our eyes with a brand new view,
and we wonder,
at how fast change happens.

We can see this,
marvel at and treasure
our lives, and how fast change happens,
with this same sense of wonder
if we choose.

mosaic in a cup

One whole person
cannot fill your cup completely
other than you.
One you can fill your cup,
which cannot sustain with only one
ingredient.

Explore, discover, ask,
how different people, places, thoughts,
can fill your cup
in a combination so unique to you,
it dances back into your eyes
like a mosaic,
imperfectly perfect.

There is so much noise

So many words
by so many people
out there,
telling me not to trust myself
telling me how to find my purpose
telling me how to take control of my life.

There is so much noise filling my head
telling me to do this or that,
that I cannot trust myself
and I likely do not have control of me,
leaving me in a disarray
screaming into a pillow
in an attempt to escape the noise.

I spend more time reading about
and listening to
people who preach what to do,
by the time I’m done
I feel more confused about what to do
than before I started.

Wise are these words, yes,
but so too are those within me
which have led me to who
and where I am now.
Perhaps they deserve more attention
than those screaming at me from
beyond,
as they whisper softly from within,
“I know how to help you.”

May we all build a trail

Build a trail just for you.
Wind it between mountains,
across valleys.
Make it durable to weather storms
but malleable to change.
Carve out a little more each day,
find the destination as you go.
Your trail is your own
for you alone are in control.

May we all build a trail
unique and meaningful
curating joy and purpose.
May we hold the courage to defend our trail
against conforming ideals
and external expectations.
May we gain strength from others,
lending it to us
when we fall under attack.

May we unite with each other
to defend as one
and celebrate as many.

footsteps, furniture and new voices

The floor creaks under the weight
of footsteps, new and many.
Bodies rest upon furniture, furniture
which scarcely receives human contact.
Laughter and conversation
ring through the air,
of all ages and volumes.

Pushing us beyond comfort
for a few days
brings new appreciation for retreating
back, into routine and calm.

Despite temporary discomfort,
the footsteps, furniture and new voices
mean family and love are near.
Practice gratitude, and embrace
this chance, to fill your heart.

my past self

I turn around,
take a look back at my past self,
read old journals
relive near-forgotten memories
and I think of her.

I yearn for her,
the young girl who thought
she had it all figured out,
a naive romantic
a dreamer.

What would it be like
to step back into those worn out Adidas shoes
and take in again her optimistic hopes
of the future, of the world beyond?

I ache for her pain,
revel in her happiness.
Some parts of her remain
in me
and other parts
I wish to recover from the buried sand.

Four years ago

Four years ago you left us
to find a brand new home,
among the sunshine, cloud and blue;
time to venture out on your own.

Four years ago you left us
I remember it like yesterday,
away from home, I got the call
that you had passed away.

Four years ago you left us
I remember our last hug,
your strong arms and deep voice both still there
that today, still run through my blood.

Four years ago you left us
on all of us, it’s been hard.
You live on and strong, now and forever;
in peppermints, baseball or a playing card.

Four years ago you left us
I still wish it wasn’t so.
But I dream of seeing you again someday
and into your arms I will go.