A New Job, A New Relationship, Or A New Lifestyle

A new job, a new relationship, or a new lifestyle

Is something that requires us to reset

All the things we are used to

And all the things we’ve come to expect.

It will require us to adjust

And of course it will take time

But if we approach things with humility, curiosity, and patience

The chances are we will be fine.

Our confidence may be high one day

And not so high the next

It is a natural part of adjusting and adapting

And we have to keep going even though this or that situation might vex.

Day to day challenges may tempt us to doubt

And to hastily think of throwing up our hands

But we should see all problems as puzzled to be solved

This is what wisdom and successful personal growth commands.

Instead of second-guessing ourselves

We should take time to ask and reflect

What are some things we can do differently

That might have an advantageous effect?

I believe if we just keep moving forward, dear reader

Never giving up, and always trying to find a way

The small improvements we make will add up

And ultimately save the day.

Indeed, if we do this, dear reader

I am confident, we will find out it is true

That we can love the new job, the new relationship, or the new lifestyle we have

Even though we never thought we could do.

Let me say that again ….

We can love the new job, the new relationship, or the new lifestyle we have

Even though we never thought we could do.

And that's what I call a miracle!

And you know the good news?

I’ve seen that miracle happen again and again!

Walk it Off!

When we reach into our box of memories

There will be memories good and bad

Some memories will make us happy

And some memories will make us sad.

Walk it off I say, walk it off

Talk it out, I say. Talk it out

Don't keep it all bottled up 

And let it eat you from inside out.

Each one of us becomes an adult

And will then have to do a sweep

Of the memories we must toss from our box

And the memories we must keep.

Walk it off I say, walk it off

Talk it out, I say. Talk it out

Don't keep it all bottled up 

And let it wipe you out.

The past is there to learn from

And for us to develop insights

The past is not there to plunge us into a misery

From which there is no respite.

Walk it off I say, walk it off

Talk it out, I say. Talk it out

Don't keep it all bottled up 

Like a poison you can do without.

There are things that happened which shouldn't have

But you can't turn back the clock

So don't dwell on things you can't change

And into a repetitious cycle of thoughts be locked.

Walk it off I say, walk it off

Talk it out, I say. Talk it out

The good memories are worth keeping

The bad you can do without.

Walk it off I say, walk it off

Talk it out, I say. Talk it out

Don't let the past steal your present, dear reader.

Because the present is what it's all about.

Yes, indeed, you should focus on the present, dear reader...

...because the present is what it's all about!

All Kinds Of Things

All kinds of things

All kinds of things

Life brings

 

Now there's a birth

Now there's a death

Each so different

We have to catch our breath

 

Now there's joy

Now there's pain

Now there's sun

Now there's rain

 

All kinds of things

All kinds of things

Life brings

 

Now it's good health

Now it's bad

One moment we are celebrating

Next moment we are sad

 

All kinds of things

All kinds of things

Life brings

 

Now there's uncertainty

Now there's light

As night follows day

And as day follows night

 

All kinds of things

All kinds of things

Life brings

 

Now someone's in the ark

Now someone's cutting away

The waves of eternity carrying them

To a different horizon and day

 

All kinds of things

All kinds of things

Life brings

 

And we must roll with the punches

We must, we must

We must do our best

And we must trust, we must trust

For the way of life is such, is such…

that...

 

All kinds of things

All kinds of things

Life brings

My Mother Was A Poet

My mother was a poet

And a gentle soul

She looked after me in a way

That always made me feel whole

 

Mummy had some hard knocks

Still she didn't complain

She remained soft, loving, and non judgmental

And used her writing to express her joys and pain

 

I thought I would honor Mummy

By sharing one of her poems with you

I think she will smile down from heaven when she reads it

Since writing was her favorite thing to do

 

The Sage’s Words

(a poem by my mother)

And they approached the sage’s robe

And touched the saffron colored hem

O master! Cast they eye upon our woe

The utter desolation of our souls!

They trod on stormy waves and stretched

Begrimed and earthly care-worn hands

For soul-uplifting “darshan”

And the sage looked upon their helplessness

And the sick panic of their inner state

His eyes were filled with pity for their pain 

And casting searching gaze on them, he spoke

Look’d you for happiness from pleasure’s lure,

Yea from the glitter false of riches’ galaxy

From passion’s short-lived ecstasies,

And sensuous caverns of delight;

From foods and wines and pleasure’s phantasies,

And grisly grin of grabbing avarice –

Thus plunged you into denser, deeper night

Bound in the fetters of your earthly might,

Wrapped in possessions, now you stand;

Souls stifling, bound at feet and hand –

My friends you are indeed, a sorry sight!

Go then! He raised his arm aloft –

Shake off these fetters from your hearts

And clad in simple nothingness,

Naked of all these earthly glorying –

They only jewels, the precious timeless pearls

Of faith and truth and boundless love

Adorn thyself with these

And having turned thy back upon the gaudy world

Having washed off its clinging, tarnished dust,

In un-encumbered, pristine, nakedness –

Return to me.

                    ______________________________________

Happy Mother's Day to my mother, and Happy Mother's Day

to all mothers everywhere.

We Can't Have Wisdom Or Foresight

        

        We can't have wisdom or foresight

About the things we refuse to see

If we don't take off our blinkers and colored glasses

We can't have a firm grasp on reality.

We have to see that in order to make friends

We have to stop making enemies

We have to see that thinking "us vs them"

Denies that different people are part of the same reality.

 

We have to see that what attracts us

May be the same thing that to others might repel

Thus to live in harmony with others

We have to seek to understand those unlike ourselves.

 

We have to see that those around us

Do not have to share our beliefs, or toe our line

Just because they don't, doesn't make them strange and evil

It just makes them someone with a different mind.

 

We have to see when we are over-reacting

And making a big deal about something we don't like

We have to see we are just creating obstacles and blinkers

         To a fruitful, meaningful, and most important of all, connected life.

 

We have to see that the world does not order itself

To our preferred point of view and vision

When it orders itself in ways we don't want

We should not make drastic decisions.

        You know why?

        We have to see that what we fear

May never come to pass

And we have to see that even when bad times come

They typically do not last.

So dear reader, I hope you will take off your blinkers and colored glasses

Today, or in the next few weeks

So that your every word, thought, and action is backed

By the wisdom of a firm grasp on reality.

        

         A firm grasp on reality!