Living Poetry

                                             Hope is the thing with feathers,
                                                 That perches in the soul,
                                      And sings the tune without the words,
                              And never stops at all.....a bit of Emily Dickinson

Have you noticed that some days are like a living poem? When you can step back from yourself, in the moment and focus on what is happening in your realm? That is a bit of a dramatic word for what I am trying to convey, but I'm sure you get my drift~
Most of the time I think most of us are so busy with life and multi-tasking, that we forget to stay in the here and now. Breath in and really "see" what is happening around us-ponder what your little part of the moment is unfolding.
I had almost forgotten to do this...until I walked out of my room where I was sorting through some clothing that I sell at a friends designer-resale clothing store in town; when I came out into my living room where my son and my granddaughter ( his niece) were watching a movie together. She was laying comfortably on his leg, all stretched out and comfy. My sons dog of many years perched up on his lap happy as can be. There they were just enjoying time together as two family members, laughing, relaxing with no cares from the outside world. Enjoying each moment. Making a warm happy memory.
I stood for a while in the background and breathed it all in with my mind. It was something I could draw from memory down the road- witnessing a good and bonding time between two people who have my heart. Wait..3, I kind of love that old dog too~ old man Chalupa !

Like a poem that flows on the page, sometimes rhyming- or a sonnet that gives your mind imagery, using metaphors that express a situation and brings emotion to our souls. I see moments in my life that I think plays out this kind of sweetness in my heart.

 My sister used to write deep emotional poetry. She even won an award from a New York poetry contest long ago. Although she has passed over a year ago, I still can read the poetry she left behind and get a glimpse of her world as she stepped back and breathed in her realms.

 What a precious gift our minds are. If we keep letting in the wonder, warm tender and even hilarious moments inside ourselves and create our own poetic understandings of them; maybe we can blot out any sadness or rough edges that can sometimes plague our memories.

I really love to step out on my second story balcony after a hard rain and listen to the soft sounds of wee little birds in the trees-its a renewing sound to me. I see droplets of water still clinging to the undersides of the moss riddled branches close enough to reach out and touch. To me, this is in my here and now moment..my present poetry of nature and my creators calming, just for me. A very "Namaste' " kind of feeling.

 

Of course I cherish the moments that make me laugh and smile so hard I think my face will crack and explode! I have to admit, I do tend to laugh a lot. Life- its just too short not to get as much bone-tickling, giggle until you almost wet yourself fun out of it! Sometimes you have to go out and find that kind of merriment....turn that kind of poetry into a Limerick! Have fun once in a while with your day. Keep it on a good positive wave though....life is enough without creating trouble!

Have I gotten you brain fluids flowing yet?

 

"I love my world. I get to share it with you !  "

Peace out~

A Warm St. Patricks Day Cheer

St. Patrick's day is quite an enchanted time-when the winter's chill starts to transform into the budding warmth of the spring day. With Irish ancestors, I am drawn the visit Ireland soon- in my near future. I went on a trip back in '95, to London, Scotland and Wales. Part of my heritage is also Scottish and Welsh.  ( Norwegian and Swiss on my dads side) Romantically, I have been very close to my Celtic side. I am doing some deeper family history and hope to find the clan I am related too before I go to my ancestral stopping grounds. I have a dream of finding some long distant relatives to connect with. Who better to get the true 'non-tourist' type Irish experience from?


On a walk a while ago, I found a three leaf clover growing tandem/hugging an interesting mushroom. I thought, how cool would it be if it were an actual four leaf clover? My thought process, being that of a strange-creative-artsy person, I decided to create my own luck. Aren't 4-leaf clovers suppose to be lucky? So are Leprechaun's, but what are the chances of me coming across one of those- right?! haha

And so I did create!.......

Instead of waiting for that special moment to happen, instead of hanging out patiently for something sweet and interesting to unfold in my life...I make my own kind of simple magic to give me a giggly smile, simple fun and simple happiness! Oh sure I have those spontaneous, "farout- way cool" moments that come naturally. It doesn't happen when I'd like it too unfortunately! Bummer... But I don't think I really care :)  Life is just fun when I play with what's in front of me ...when appropriate, of course.

~At the end of this particular walk, mid-day, I noticed brother moon was impatient with the sun and had decided to rise before his time. Maybe the moon was trying to get his fifteen minutes of fame chasing the brilliant fire of sister sun...haha

Yes, this was the little story I was telling myself at the end of my walk. I was in an interesting mood after creating my clover master piece  :) making everything a bit magical. I am a complex thinker, a multi-tasker, an artist, a writer of the different....yet, it doesn't take much to make me happy. I'm easy to please. I live for a smile, a laugh, a kind word....I live for love. Things that don't cost. These are the things I love to give to those in my path. Ok, enough sappiness! My Irish eyes are shinning this St. Patrick's day. I shall were my green lucky charms shirt and my green decked out derby hat. I shall top it off with the biggest smile and a laughing heart. One of my favorite quotes that describes me well:

                                           A proper Irish blessing to my readers~
May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind always be at your back,
May the sunshine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields,
Until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hands.

Peace out~

ADHD? or Multi-Tasker?

In my day, someone with ADHD was just someone who was full of energy, lively and energetic. We went outside and burned off all our enthusiasm! Today it means we need a diagnosis and medication to calm us down. Now I don't have ADHD but I do have a son who was "diagnosed" with it. We decided to go the natural route and he joined his local football team. We decided, together, at age 10, there would be no drug taking and we would find natural ways to help him develop his focus and positive ways to use up his energy. Now this doesn't work for everyone, but for many, it does. I found that if you give your child some say in what is done for his or her future, reasoning it out together, it tends to work out for the best. That child has been given a vested interest in following through for themselves....with support and guidance from the parent.
I also believe there is a small inherited component to ADHD, etc. I myself, have a very borderline obsessive thought process of  'specific' cleaning and organizing. I tend to get sidetracked easily while doing something...I tend to start other projects..... you know....multi-tasking! I see myself a little bit like when I look in my old mission style mirror that is grainy from years of reflection and cleaning that I purchased out of an old craftsman style house that was going to be demolished. You can see a reflection of who I am, but it is a little distorted..... not in a bad way... but a very interesting and creative way of looking at who I am.

I really love that mirror!

A short view of my morning can be that I start to wash dishes ( by hand) and see my counters need to be wiped off - so before the dishes are done I start wiping the counters-then notice out on my deck when I glanced out the siding window door that I needed to water my plants-I stop wiping my counters and go start filling up my water can-while that's going I finish my counters-go out to water my plants and see I need to sweep and tie up some tall growth on my tomato plants-I go cut some string that I have a large ball of in my utility closet-and notice I need to straighten up my coffee/butler table ( I need things to be straight and organized, in place or it just bugs the crap out of me inside my brain, lol.... yep, that's me!) With the string draped over my shoulder, I make my table presentable :)  - then I cut through the kitchen and remember I was in the middle of my dishes, so I finish the last of them in the sink-walk outside past my dining table and notice some paperwork I need to finish....am I making you tired yet?? haha....me too. At the time it was nothing, all normal for me. Anyhow, I decided to finish my outside "already started jobs" and head inside to sit down to start working at the paper pile. Now you think I would slow down and get the job done, right? I had to fight myself to actually finish the paperwork. My eye has a mind of its own. It kept roving around my home looking for things I needed to do...and I found a few things...it took a great deal of inner convincing to keep myself focused and sitting! It's no wonder why I fall into a mini coma at night. The only problem is if I 'still' have energy in my brain, its hard to shut it off at bedtime. This is some of why, my good blog readers, I walk /jog as much as I do. I find its the best way for me to decompress, distress, get some good endorphins flowing and burn that energy!

 Maybe someday I will marry- and will have other enjoyable ways of releasing my excess energy- like a feather on the warm beach dancing in the wind, white and beautiful....

I will leave it at that...to the imagination.

Actually, I see my son, myself and anyone else who deals with different ways of working through their 'uniqueness' in a positive way- pilots of their lives. Flying high above the issues during the day and soaring forward in their lives, living adventurous and free from negative restrictions.

 Like I've always said, it's all in how you perceive your path; it's all in how you pilot your plane. Don't feel afraid to crash or have an emergency landing ever so often....we all have those moments. EVERYONE DOES!

 We just need to find other ways to get creative and learn how to do an aerial roll, or a loop, maneuvering in an artistic forward flow. That's the way I see it! It's more exciting and productive that way. What fun!!

I am the Aviatrix of my life!!

Come fly with me - and kiss the sky

~Peace out~

 

Santa Anna- a form of 'Peace'

I had a very long couple of weeks. It was just over a year since my beloved sister, Michelle had crossed over from cancer. One of the most heartbreaking life experiences I had to go through. She was the other part of my comedy relief and my twin support in life. No, we were not actually twins; we just could basically read each others minds most of the time. Rather a bit "twilight zone-ish". Now Michelle had a saying she taught me, I believe she got from some comedian ( she watched a lot of comedy tv )..whenever she got over stressed and needed to quickly calm herself down, she would chant
 "sah-nahta-auwna". A weird way of saying Santa Anna. It's pretty funny but it gets the job done. I got to the point where I find myself doing the same thing. Not only does it refocus my thoughts to calm....it also provides me with a way to feel close to my sister and causes me to smile. Smiling sooths my inner freak-out and boosts those good ole' endorphins!
I went to a very sacred and beautiful place on my sisters birthday, March 7th. I needed to feel close to her and give myself a sweet positive image to replace the sorrow I had in my heart.
Nature, even if in a man-made area filled with natures abundance, someplace that is quieting to the soul and mind. A center focus...

.....A place where you can quiet your thoughts and heart and hear the sounds of the water flowing and small birds singing a soft song..

....The gentle wind through the trees, and feel the sunshine on your face. The warmth sinking into the layers of your skin...

......The colors of the blue sky and white clouds.
 I found my deep peace and centeredness near a place of faith. Sometimes I find it out in the woods or at the beach while I walk alone. I can even obtain it on my deck when all isn't quiet in my neighborhood. I can just slowly edit out any noise I don't wish to accept at that moment. This is a hard thing to do...but a bit of practice will do the trick. My sister and I called it "there is no back seat!" When our kids were young and we would go somewhere together in the car...and the boys would argue and yell at each other and fuss to no end...besides doing the proverbial  "stop it, or I'll pull the car over" bit; we would look at each other and say let's play "there is no back seat" and just ignore all the commotion. Strangely enough, when the boys wouldn't get any reaction from us, they would calm themselves down and all would be right in our little vehicle world! This worked for us. Don't ask me why! .....I'm not sure we cared...it just brought us back to our inner sanity.
I would urge anyone who has experienced any kind of loss or hurt on a specific day, ( which would be most of us) to go find a place of beauty, quietness; a place that makes you smile and feel good inside and out. Heap all the love and warmth into you heart and transform it into a good place to be. Trade the sorrow for an uplift in spirits. The next year, you will be surprised at how things feel inside you. Sunshine instead of clouds in your mind. A beautiful gift to give yourself. You are deserving my friend.
            .......sah-nahta-auwna...
                   Peace out~

The Doors

No-not the old band "The Doors"....
I'm talking about the times when we keep banging on the door that we want to be opened in our life's path, but it does not come to fruition no matter how hard we work toward it or try to open it. Now if your thinking to yourself  "nope, never happened to me, don't know what your talking about" I will call you out on this one! Unless you are very young and basically just getting started with life.....you've been there and experienced this frustration.
Sometimes the door that we 'had' walked through worked out well in the past and we got too comfortable. We set up our comfy recliner, remote in our hands to program how our day will pan out-so we got too relaxed-robotic--stopped mentally growing so to speak. Whether it be work, home or other outside life, you may be feeling a displacement in... take it as a sign; no, take it as a swift kick in the keester that you are worth much more than to just settle -its time to get uncomfortable, spread your wings, challenge yourself.
 I believe in divine intervention when we become too complacent with ourselves. We all need security and stableness in our basic lives, absolutely, to a point. But to live mundane? It's for the birds. Sometimes this slap in the face comes out of the blue and it stings. It can cause us unmentionable kinds of drama....if we choose to let it!!!!!  (This is key)
If this happens, recognize it for what it is. Step back after a day of screaming and being angry or sad or frustrated or bored as all get out. Take some deep breaths. Stand in the quiet of the day. I believe these upsets are purposeful and predestined for us. This is your chance to make changes. Find a  job where your talents are appreciated and you find newness to get your smart juices flowing. Redecorate your home. Look into magazines possibly.....think what makes you smile and feel good-go for that look to live in. Some people are into feng-shui. Maybe you can find some kind of peaceful centeredness in that. Mine centers in growing my faith. To each his own happiness and well-being, right?! Travel, volunteer possibly. Doing for others grows your compassion and gives you a deep peace. Makes you appreciate what you do have yourself. It's an awesome kind of self happiness. ( a good kind, not self-centered type, don't get the two confused)
 I myself, am ever-changing. Long ago, I used to bang on the same door trying to make it all work out the way I thought it should. It left me freaked out and sore with rough knuckles! Not very productive....ha! That was in my young days. It took me many trials and error to learn to step back and realize that I had the power to look at it as a positive, an opportunity to my advantage. Stand in my quietness and let the answer come to me. It does, if you have the where-with-all to meditate, pray or just listen in silence. This is when you can step forward with confidence. It becomes an adventure. A new chapter in your book.
A longtime friend of mine had just gone through an upset in her life. Something that she worked hard at and excelled in was broken. She is an amazing spirit, talented in many ways. Always with a smile and laughter and her wisdom she connected with her clients and co-workers. In her personal life, you couldn't find a more lovely person to be around. Still, through this new trial in her life, she stands tall and creative. She is standing quietly, assessing her next moves. She is standing in a grand room with many doors to choose from. I can only imagine the emotions, etc. that were going through her mind - where to persevere....uncertainty- that comes from doubt because we are human, excitement, anxious wonderment, contemplation of paths, gaining of  fortitude-not throwing in the towel of defeat! My friend is a strong minded woman and a force to be inspired by.

 Id like to think we all have this in us...having fortitude in our souls at some level. I read this posting on the web a while ago and it stuck with me to be true and wise with common sense!
This is my smile I leave with you today. Something to think  positive about- to seize your day "Carpe Diem"
 Right on!!!
. Be an inspiration to yourself. In doing so you can be an inspiration to others-common sense. It's a free gift ;)
Use it!
Peace out my friends!