HOMING

A French Pantoum-style Poem

Homing toward that something to which we are tethered

The never-ending process of being

A willingness to give up one’s willfulness 

Homage, loyalty, serenity and then, in the quiet space: joy 

The never-ending process of being

What if it’s not what you think?

Homage, loyalty, serenity and then, in the quiet space; joy 

A gift that keeps on giving

What if it’s not what you think?

A willingness to give up one’s willfulness  

A gift that keeps on giving

Homing toward that something to which we are tethered

SELF HELP?

I’ve read (and used) a lot of “self help” books and resources through the years. Yes, there’s a lot of trite stuff in that section of the bookstore. At the same time, I’ve found some of it to be very inspiring and helpful. Using this line of thinking one could even look at the Bible (or the sacred writings of any religion or philosophy) as the greatest self help book ever written!

But there’s a fundamental problem here.

“Self help” implies that from the getgo we need help. In other words, humanity’s starting point is not one of health, but unhealth, not completeness but incompleteness, not wholeness but neediness. I find this to be neither true nor helpful but rather, negative, depressing and encouraging of codependent behavior. Worse, starting out with this flawed premise alters everything down the line.

But what if, like the universe and every piece and process in it, each of us is in a constant state of evolution and expansion? What if, from the cellular level on up, we are meant to increase and advance in every healthy way possible? Science says it’s our nature--on both the biological/personal and communal/global levels. The moment we stop doing so we begin dying--individually and collectively. The speed of these deaths may be imperceptibly slow (or not!), but we’re still on the downhill. Further, I think this applies to our minds as much as to our bodies.

Vis-a-vis the universe, we are each a microcosm of this much greater, grander whole--each an infinitesimally small but nevertheless essential fractal of it--and each of us, like the universe itself, is living in a constant state of becoming.

Seems to me it’s how we’re meant to be. . . and see.

TODAY.

LET’S GIVE OURSELVES AND THE WORLD A GIFT.

LET’S TAKE TIME TO THINK ABOUT HOW WE THINK.

AT DAWN'S EARLY LIGHT

 In the moment the unfolding begins

my eyes see, even as my heart swells,

the softest, sweetest hue of pink 

one could ever conceive.  

Above it, the most cerulean of blues 

boldly paints the cloudless sky beyond.  

There at horizon’s jet black edge 

rise the silhouetted spires of pine upon pine,

while here at my feet,

steely gray undulations of ocean.

And so, the day’s color guard advances, 

wrapping the world within its ribbons of beauty,

even as it invites all creation to parade its wonder.

Privileged, I bear witness to its birthing, 

so fresh, so soft, still wet the dew.

Whelmed with its grandeur,

I can’t begin to behold, less appreciate,

the staggering meaning and magnitude 

embraced by this one solitarily glorious day, 

only the latest entry in the annals of all time.

Yet here it and I meet. Here we greet.  

It quickens my spirit and satiates my soul.

Oh God of all, here at dawn’s early light

I ask of you but one thing.

Help me take less of your life-infusing love 

for granted today than I did yesterday. . . . 

and still less tomorrow 

than I do today.

BRAVO!

On our 10th wedding anniversary Renee and I received a card. On the cover, splashed across a picture of a bottle of champagne, glasses and multicolor confetti was one word,  “Bravo!” Inside it said, “When you married you meant it!” At dinner that evening we raised a glass of wine, looked into each other's eyes, said triumphantly, “Bravo!” and toasted our relationship. When we married we meant it.

That 10th anniversary night was 37 years ago.

Ever since, everywhere, on every occasion that we’ve enjoyed a glass of bubbly or wine, we’ve looked into each other's eyes and said it again . . . “Bravo!”  

Like virtually all couples marrying for the first time, we “meant it” before we really knew what marriage meant. . . before we knew that it is the single most significant decision any of us ever makes in life. . . before we knew the power and promise of a truly loving personal relationship. . . before we knew the many ways our commitment would unwaveringly challenge us to be about our own growing.

Speaking these bravos--no matter how we felt about each other at the moment (Read: sometimes with great gusto and sometimes, shall we say, a bit less enthusiastically)--has taught us a lasting wisdom about the ins and outs, the ups and downs, the work-arounds and work-throughs of a healthy relationship. 

So on this night, our 47th anniversary--and for the gazillionth time--we'll raise a glass, look into each other's eyes--into eyes that set our hearts to flight--a flight that’s never landed, into eyes that now know us and love us anyway, into eyes that know at least what we can know having come thus far. . . and we’ll say “Bravo!” 

And we’ll mean it all over again.

TODAY.

LET'S GIVE EACH OTHER AND OURSELVES A GIFT.

LET'S TAKE TIME TO THINK ABOUT HOW WE LOVE.

WHERE LIFE IS FOUND

It is said, “Life is not found 

in reaching one’s destination, 

but in the journey itself.” 

Yet life is not found in our journey, 

but in the experiences 

that make up our journey. 

Yet life is not found 

in the experiences 

that make up our journey, 

but in meaning we give 

to the experiences 

that make up our journey.

Yet life is not found 

in the meaning we give 

to the experiences

that make up our journey,

but in the values that determine 

the meaning we give 

to the experiences

that make up our journey.

 

Yet life is not found

in the values that determine 

the meaning we give 

to the experiences 

that make up our journey,

but in that of our journey already taken

and in our dreams of that which is still to be,

which inform the values that determine 

the meaning we give 

to the experiences 

that make up our journey.

In other words,

to enter into the journey

is to have already arrived 

at one’s destination.

So let us enter in, 

and let us do so 

deeply.

THINK THINK

What’s the most important thing you or I will do today?

We each have our own ideas about what’s more and what’s less important to us. It’s called “prioritizing.” Since birth, we’ve taught our brains to do this for us all day long. 

But! 

We determine what’s more, less--or most--important vis-a-vis our urges, wants, values, and beliefs. (Pretty much in that order!) So basically, we’re telling our brains, “Within such and such parameters, keep collating and prioritizing all this real-time input you’re taking in and keep me posted.” (Think intra-personal secretary.) 

But when do we revisit our personal parameters? And how do we really know what should be more, less or most important? (Think mountains vs. molehills.) 

Since we can’t see into our future, we can’t possibly know how things will ultimately play out, can we? (As a high school junior, on a lark, I decided to take “Typing 101” with a friend--and have done it more days than not ever since.) My point: The task, decision, relationship or activity that is barely a blip on the screen right in front of us may, in fact, be huge. (Think life changing.)

I see an invitation in all this: the opportunity to respect and even revere this very moment as extraordinarily powerful in sculpting our own lives and/or the lives of others. It begs us to do whatever we do--however, wherever, whenever and whyever--we are doing it--with awareness . . . mindfulness . . . consciousness. (Think think.)

TODAY.

LET’S GIVE THE WORLD & OURSELVES A GIFT.

LET’S TAKE TIME TO THINK ABOUT HOW WE THINK.

LIKE A LOVER

I’ve come back. For more.

Nowhere would I rather be 

than in the arms of your presence. 

No one would I rather be with than you.

I lap up your love like its honey.

I feel you inside me. 

Inside my head. My heart. My being. 

I want to tell you everything, 

want you to know everything about me, 

want to know everything about you.

Can’t say no to you. Don’t want to. 

Disarming me, you move me to remorse, 

invite me into the healing realm of repentance.

Here all my defenses feel so false.

I no longer need them. I’m safe,

for you are the antithesis of my enemy. 

Within, I feel so small, so insignificant 

beneath your unwavering gaze,

yet you make me feel precious to you,

like you can’t live without me,

or like you could, but you won’t.

You liberate my self-incarcerated spirit,

Deep calm is mine, and deeper freedom.

As if for the first time, I see who I really am

and I love the me that you see.

You make me wonder: 

Are all our earthly lovers, 

even the best of them, 

and them at their best,

mere microcosms 

of your sweet love?

SOUL SPEED

“Stop long enough to let your soul catch up to your body.” 

You’ve probably heard this before. It’s good. It encourages us to slow all the way down to now--which is very good--since now is the one and only place any of us exists. But this saying is a little like a variation of putting the cart before the horse. Our souls don’t need to catch up to our bodies--as if our bodies should be determining our “soul speed”--though our culture urges and affirms pushing our bodies to their limits and beyond. (Just ask Simone Biles) No. Our bodies need to slow down to our soul’s speed (Again, just ask Simone Biles). 

Makes me wonder. Is she really experiencing a bout of mental illness? Or, is she the one sane one in the whole system?

TODAY.

LET’S GIVE THE WORLD & OURSELVES A GIFT.

LET’S TAKE TIME TO THINK ABOUT HOW WE THINK.