Posted in inspiration, positive thinking, tagged acceptance, Hans Christian Andersen quote, life and death, poem, seasons on December 2, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Posted in inspiration, tagged Amy Bloom tag, grandchildren and wisdom, poem, self-acceptance, simplicity on November 25, 2020| 3 Comments »
You are imperfect, permanently, and inevitably flawed. And you are beautiful. (Amy Bloom)
Re-frame
My grandchildren’s whiteboard hangs loosely from its frame, pulled too many times by small hands.
Scribbles, playschool, a partial red coverup in green over five, seven, or more years. My oldest granddaughter
frees and cleans the open space. She attaches it to my door. Re-frame. What appears to be broken becomes new.
The new no longer needs approval from outside. It is real, re-framed inside its own white borders.
Posted in inspiration, tagged blindness, Helen Keller quote, inspiration, peace, prose poem, reliance on cell phone, serenity, time, vision on November 19, 2020| Leave a Comment »
The only thing worse than being blind is having sight and no vision. (Helen Keller)
My friend wears her mask over her nose, mouth—and eyes. I don’t comment. She’s blind. It doesn’t matter. I lead her to the hospital’s elevator and through registration. We wait. I suddenly realize
I left my phone in the car. I feel lost without it.
Sun shines through pale beige shades half-drawn along ample windows. The walls wear the same color and light. I try to embrace the moment. The gift of sight. The reason why I give to my friend.
But I left my phone in the car. I feel lost without it.
A medical assistant calls my friend’s name. Only patients are permitted in treatment rooms. I have time to think. To meditate while she meets with her doctor. Instead I bi-locate, tri-locate inside possibilities that will never be
because I left my phone in the car. I feel lost without it.
I find a single scrap of paper. And write. Absorb the moment. What gift is happening now? I breathe in and out. Slowly. My thoughts. Focused one moment, gone the next
because I left my phone in the car. I feel lost without it.
My friend returns. She leaves the aide’s arm and reaches for mine. Communication. Find the difference between sight and vision, want and need.
My friend and I talk. About the trivial, about memories that have lasted. “We’ve had a lot of red lights on this street,” my friend says. She is right. Aware, yet not stuck in the waiting.
My phone rests, messages on hold. Finally, I accept each bite of time. And swallow.
Posted in inspiration, tagged cooperation, peace, poem, Rumi quote, self-love on November 13, 2020| 2 Comments »
Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself. ()
Now that I am aware that others know suffering, joy, pain, and every other human feeling the same way, I work with softer weapons. They never hit a target and rarely claim immediate results. However, love and compassion have unexpected side effects. May those side effects explode outside the form of a poem.
first published in For a Better World
Posted in inspiration, tagged car maintenace, confucius quote, peace versus violence, political agreement and division, reading, TV superficial programs on November 5, 2020| Leave a Comment »
It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop. (Confucius)
Television noise fills my brain. A game show celebrates money, the superficial, and glamour. I try to ignore the clamor and read. The written words slide into the air with the program’s artificial I-win hype. Auto repair commotion adds to the confusion.
My car needs help as it ages. I am grateful I own a car.
Finally, I am the only customer in the waiting room. I ask for a quieter program and the mute button appears from someplace behind me. I escape into the semi-freedom of flashing, soundless color. Hours pass. I notice the opening and closing of restroom doors. Basic, banal. Both personal and universal.
“Would you like to watch the news?” an employee asks.
I do and I don’t. The news feels like minor surgery without anesthesia. This station is owned by Sinclair Broadcasting. Its viewpoint is monitored. And limited.
The vote count will continue in an endless loop. I voted early. My husband and I spent election day outside the polls. Encouraging voters. Soaking in sun. Returning an occasional frown with a smile. My choices focus on opportunities—for people who don’t have them. I do not want a senseless battle; it creates war. But I don’t want complacency either.
No matter how the results emerge, I cannot give up. No vehicle, no moment, no individual shines forever.
Move on. Move up. Fall, but find the light again. And again. And again.
Posted in inspiration, positive thinking, tagged Cherokee legend about the two wolves, choice, peace, the year 2020, violence on October 29, 2020| 2 Comments »
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.
“It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One is evil—he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good—he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you—and inside every other person, too.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?” The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.” (Cherokee legend)
This year has had nothing to do with twenty-twenty vision. Not yet. Perhaps recognizing dark and light within, can help root out the angry wolves inside me. May my flame be directed into light instead of uncontrolled, destructive fire.
Posted in book review, inspiration, tagged Mary Schmich tag, reading, relaxation, the Star League Trilogy by Terry Petersen on October 24, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Reading is a discount ticket to everywhere. (Mary Schmich)
One more page. I will only read one more page. And my fingers flip through another chapter. (Of another story) Other chores have interfered lately, but the pages of a book don’t flip side-wise like a cellphone does when I lift a paperback to a different position.
The third book in my series is out. In eBook form now, a lot more convenient for traveling. The print form will appear soon. Through a new press, Petulant Child press. Happy reading wherever you feast your eyes.
Posted in inspiration, tagged black lives matter, diversity, racial diversity, simplicity, Steve Goodier quote on October 9, 2020| 3 Comments »
Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilization. My only question is, will we pass that test? (Steve Goodier)
“Hi!” my neighbor shouts.
I wave and smile. No need to say more.
He is jogging with his dog. I am carrying groceries.
Simple-world things,
no action either of us needs to remember.
The painted work of my granddaughter speaks for us.
One humanity. May I act with awareness
of both the inside and outside of anyone
who walks inside and outside
my accepting, integrated circle,
until someday all understand.
Posted in inspiration, tagged age, attitude, Lailah Gifty Askita quote, priorities, prose poem, seasons on October 2, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Life is defined by time and seasons. (Lailah Gifty Akita)
Late September. Two septuagenarians in a blend-in-with-the-scene white Toyota, travel a county highway. Vehicles of all kinds, shapes, and colors join or pass. With anonymous individuals inside. Some courteous, others impatient.
Did I bring my phone? the man in the white car asks his wife. “Right here,” she answers. “Good,” he says. “I’ll call after my doctor’s appointment. And pick you up at the same mall entrance.” His voice remains soft. She smiles. She knows her limited sense of direction.
Foliage changes colors in a different time frame than traffic moves. The woman wonders when the skin on her arms developed ridges. Long parallel lines. Miniature mountainsides. Her experiences saved inside them as one season blends into another.
She walks through the mall pathways. Sees signs demanding masks. Noses over the top. Nothing worth buying. Construction penetrates her ears.
While the season waits outside. One more time.
…Yup, Time, It’s Been Awhile I chose large print with the hope that these words will stay in my memory longer. I sit by the heart monitor that lets hospital staff know my heart bypass is operating A-okay. However, I feel best when I’m not thinking about it. My mind is young. Young! Since I…
Posted in inspiration, positive thinking, tagged acceptance, appreciation, choice, John Lennon quote, perspective, political discord, positive attitudes, respect for all people on September 15, 2020| 1 Comment »
You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us. And the world will live as one. (
Fog, Sun, and Hope
Bare, black trees stand out inside a low cloud. Fog.
Headlights hide the vehicles they guide
until the cars arrive close enough to be
seen by other drivers.
In political fogs fact and factoid blur. Alternative facts,
lies that wear well-constructed masks. Fear wins.
Each lie repeats often enough to be used as beams for
followers. The mask asks people to scoff non-believers.
And the non-believers respond with taunts, point out stupidity,
lack of logic, inconsistency. A no-win war begins.
In the natural world, sun, blue, and clouds reappear.
Dead trees remain leafless. Headlights become optional,
a choice. Drivers can now see without them. Can eyes open
and human roots join for change? Must fog live in all seasons?
Or can sun live despite fog? As headlights point out need,
can drivers carry hope and respond with an ear instead of censure?
Yes, I hear where you stand, those who would
destroy the poor and give to the rich, but I disagree.
Peace for the world.
Eventually. Please.
originally published in For A Better World
terrypetersen 