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Posts Tagged ‘encouragement’

A Red Car and Metaphors for Us and Them

Posted in inspiration, positive thinking, tagged , , , , , , , , on September 8, 2020| 1 Comment »

There is no us and them; it’s an illusion. We are all human beings, and we all have a responsibility to support one another and to discover ways of wresting the power from the very, very few people who control all the cash and all the property. (Roger Waters.)

Amazing how lost I can feel even though I know exactly where I’m turning left and right. Three errands. Each simple and specific. And yet my thoughts travel as if my brain synapses have no connections. I want to save the world. It isn’t going to happen.

A red car turns ahead of me into the parking lot as a small boy sticks his head out the window. He is a handsome child. Mocha skin. Hair shaved to reveal a perfectly shaped skull. He returns inside immediately. I imagine the voice of the driver, probably a parent. “Get your seatbelt on right now, young man.”

Then I see the identical shaved hairstyle of a smaller boy. He is seated in the middle of the back seat. The red car is no longer a vehicle in a line of traffic. It is its own world. A mini-community that turns toward another part of the shopping center.

I don’t know the family. And yet a scene hits me. The earth from a distance. Made from easily delineated parts. Water. Land. And everything is blurred as if it had no mountain, valley, creatures, or specks of dust.

When one group of people has never interacted with another, notions develop without dimension, fact, or touch.

“I’m not prejudiced,” an unnamed white woman announces. “I just think all lives matter.” The rebuttal comes, “But is your life being threatened? Has it ever been threatened because your pale-peaches skin has too many freckles?” And the response is a cold stare.

Us and them. May these words become pronouns again and stay out of the judgmental realm. They are too easily used as weapons.

A wider worldview. It may be the only solution. Yet not an easy one.

 

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Cracks, Imperfections, or the Moments that Take Our Breath Away

Posted in inspiration, positive thinking, tagged , , , , , , on August 25, 2020| 2 Comments »

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.  (Maya Angelou)

 For when you experience more crack than sidewalk. And the news inside and outside your house could depress a saint. For the times when you explode over a request that overloads your already sinking-ship schedule. For the moments when the basement floods and you find a dry milk carton in the refrigerator…

 

May joy and laughter return in simple moments. A sunny day when rain was predicted. A call from a friend. A call to a friend. A smile from a stranger. A smile extended to a stranger. The realization that you have value no circumstance can erase.

 

Peace despite and through all the ugliness.

 

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Contrast: a Poem

Posted in inspiration, positive thinking, tagged , , , , , , , , , on August 18, 2020| 1 Comment »

It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop. (Confucius)

 

CONTRAST

The news broadcasts the story in an infinite loop.

Nine people killed, one an unborn baby.

Boy or girl, identity as unknown

as the reason for the bullets that stopped them.

I listen to commentary

about hate and racism while a wren

travels from tree to wire, the place where

larger birds claim territory. 

 

Perhaps, there is no genuine connection.

Only a brief metaphor. And yet

I wonder if change can begin

with subtle movements.

 

first published in Piker Press

illustration made from recent colored penciled drawings

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Happiness, Sadness, and Lifting Up Kids

Posted in inspiration, positive thinking, tagged , , , , , , , , , on July 2, 2020| 2 Comments »

When I was 5 years, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy.’ They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life. (John Lennon)

 The young Beatle-to-be obviously didn’t have nuns as teachers. He would have been knocked down a step or two, or three, or four. With or without a cracking ruler.

If only happiness didn’t need to be pursued. I tell my grandchildren they are important often. Sure, action and discipline remain necessary. The-world-owes-me makes a sad goal. However, a happy-to-be-alive everyday life isn’t easy to achieve.

“You need to live to be 138,” one grandchild told me recently. “I’m going to need you that long.”

Sweet. Yes. And yet a potent message. A need to be assured remains powerful.

The little things. Always the little things. How well or poorly are they set together?

 

 

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I’ll Smile. From the Heart. Not a Command

Posted in inspiration, positive thinking, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 19, 2020| 1 Comment »

 

separated smilesThe way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain. (Dolly Parton)

“Put a smile on your face.” A quote. Made by almost any parent. Well-meant perhaps, but misleading. First, the smile needs to be placed in the heart. It isn’t an accessory, like a hat or sweater.

As a teenager, I recall fussing about my thin, flyaway hair. I tried to make it look like someone else’s.

“Pretty is as pretty does,” my mother said with a face that stated, “And you are not pretty in appearance or deed.” That notion could have been restated. “This may seem important to you now. I can show you a better way.” I am glad I eventually discovered a new mirror.

The illustration pictures separated smiles. Without the rest of the person, they appear strange. The completed faces that belong to these mouths, have blessed me. One belongs to my sister. Another to my daughter-in-law. The baby’s grin belongs to my growing, youngest grandchild.

Sure, I’ll put on a smile. A smile that comes from the heart and soul. Not to a command. Sadness is real. It doesn’t need to be fed, but it does need to run its course.

Perhaps joy may take some time. Like waiting through a pandemic. Like hours of labor before birth. Like the negative space that gives lace and art its beauty.

The picture is metaphorical. I have heard all three of the voices attached to these lips, felt their presence, even if that physical touch was distant. These voices speak love.

The past can’t be changed. I offer my mother no advice. However, I have plenty to tell me. I don’t advise someone else about how to feel. I do tell them they have value, then give them space to discover it for themselves.

 

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One Mask, Not Pretty but It Works

Posted in inspiration, positive thinking, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on April 19, 2020| 2 Comments »

Everybody’s talking about people breaking into houses but there are more people in the world who want to break out of houses. (Thornton Wilder, 1897-1975)

 Thornton, you were ahead of your time.

 I am reviewing my four-year-old-child skills. With the same lack of finesse. Making a mask from one of my husband’s old shirts. The mask I have pulls my hearing aids out, and the silk scarf I tried for the grocery store, slid off as if I’d smeared my face with bacon grease.

 Now, I model my newest creation. In cotton, St. Patrick’s Day green, designed for social distancing wear.

 Take an old T-shirt. Cut off the bottom, as wide a space as needed to tie around the face. Then cut out a square on each side, leaving enough room to tie above and below the ears.

 This version took a few minutes, with scissors that have cut a lot of paper. And numbed the cutting edges. Something like chewing celery without teeth.

Yes, I do have artistic ability. And no, I didn’t use any of it here. Genuine creation takes time. All I want now is a walk. Outside. Where the air moves a farther distance than a furnace fan can reach.

Slipshod work is good enough. A little fabric glue between the layers later will complete the project.

And—my husband and I—we are in the sun. Vitamin D, I’m ready to soak you in.

 White clouds and blue sky, may I never take you for granted again.

 

 

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During Isolation, Celebrating Another Day

Posted in inspiration, positive thinking, tagged , , , , , , , , , on April 12, 2020| 2 Comments »

We’re capable of much more than mediocrity, much more than merely getting by in this world. (Sharon Salzberg, Real Love: The Art of Mindful Connection)

 Unstable weather. Tornadoes. Sun, wind, rain take turns crapshoot style. While a novel virus spreads like something from a horror movie. And yet, somehow, love hasn’t died. My sister-in-law drops off an Easter lily. Neighbors check on us. We pass our blessings on. As news channels broadcast possibilities—none of them definite.

 A friend calls. She’s lonely and wants to visit. It hurts to tell her, “not now.”

 Our birdfeeder is empty. The feed will come. Eventually. When we can get to a store.

 Love. It’s so imperfect.

 My husband and I follow YouTube aerobics in front of our picture window. Our performance is below par, at best. Yet, our relationship deepens during this homebound time when human faults could tear a couple apart.

Are we better people? Good glory, no! Just lucky. We discovered a few life tools, crapshoot style. Sure, the tension could get to us at any time. We could forget. Let aches and pains tell us we need to be center of the universe, or at least the household.

 What is important? Now. A house that sparkles or a home that welcomes change, life as it is? The presence of a husband who thanks me for everything I do. The goodness of a neighbor who cuts our grass as I type. I pray to see blessings. Speak gratitude. Often.

 My husband has a unique skill. When he knows I’m irritated about something, he makes me laugh. I don’t want perfect in a mate. Not really. We would have nothing in common.

 Spring appears with open blossoms. A beginning. Always another beginning. Yes, there will always be an ending. In between are other days.

 

 

 

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Like Plants Growing Through Rock

Posted in inspiration, positive thinking, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on April 4, 2020| Leave a Comment »

 

When someone is going through a storm, your silent presence is more powerful than a million empty words. (Thelma Davis)

I’ve been awake for less than five minutes when I look out our front window. A man, dog, and cat walk down our street—together. Yup, that’s a cat. I’m wearing my glasses. Their harmony is clear.

I view the scene as a metaphor for world peace. Somehow. When threat is the word for the day, an opposite scene stands out. And refreshes.

Another phone call arrives from someone who needs to talk. Yes, I’d rather work on an art or writing project, but I know my efforts would be shallow because I haven’t enriched my spirit by giving. I listen to the needs of a recent widow. And as I am drawn in, time doesn’t matter. Time isn’t mine anyway.

A neighbor slips a note inside my front door. She’s scheduling a grocery pick-up. Can she get anything for us? Yes, three items. No more. I won’t take advantage. I will simply accept the honest concern of a friend.

Perhaps the year 2020 doesn’t offer twenty-twenty vision. Yet. Heck, I get caught up in moments when I feel cleaning my house is no different than sweeping a beach at low tide.

Meanwhile, an ugly, dangerous virus threatens every human being in the world. Difficult times can present opportunities. Like plants growing through rock, beauty and goodness survive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Quick Judgments, Ouch!

Posted in inspiration, positive thinking, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 25, 2020| 1 Comment »

Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment. (Rita Mae Brown)

Stories, the real-life kind. I talk to a friend as she relays an incident involving someone whom she has known her entire life. The young man has mental illness. Voices led him to rob a bank. No gun. He doesn’t own one. He had a knife. And didn’t use it. The threat was enough. Yet, this seriously disturbed man has been the comfort and support of a woman who is severely handicapped. She is alone now. In another state. 

Now, the young man is in jail. The fate by law of a bank robber… I step down now from extreme examples. How often does anyone know the full story about anyone? 

I like to think I’m allergic to judgment. Yet, I’ve come to strong conclusions concerning far less.

These two examples may not be spoken, but they are nevertheless real.

“Turn off your cell phone and pay attention to traffic.” Yes, distracting calls on the road are a dangerous practice. However, do I know how important the conversation is? About the closest liquor store? Maybe. A lost senior citizen… A dying family member… Not within my limited perception.

“Where did you learn grammar? From bubble-gum pop music?” Okay. I admit it. I grimace when I hear, “I can’t wait no more for you.” Maybe this young man needs school before he marries Paula. Yes, it’s a judgment. But I know it.

I met an uneducated, yet wise woman years ago. I wrote about her and published a short story in an Appalachian press about her. The book I wrote remains in limbo. For publication someday, when the virus fog rises. However, when I remember Gladys, I gain better perspective.

During these enclosed, time-to-reflect hours, I may not be able to cure the world. I can cleanse my thinking. And expand my ability to care. Opportunity comes in strange forms. May I find it in the rubble.

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Dubious Advice: a Poem

Posted in inspiration, positive thinking, tagged , , , , , , , , on March 7, 2020| Leave a Comment »

She generally gave herself very good advice, (though she very seldom followed it.) Lewis Carroll

Take one opinion.

Call it the whole.

Shout your words

with venom if necessary.

Cover your home,

your car, every space you touch

with bumper stickers, clever words,

succinct, biting,

so simple and transparent

an ostrich could strut

your message across a zoo.

Then flick on the television,

curl up in your favorite chair,

or lie on a distant beach,

and revel in the comfort of your truth.

Relax, with food and wine within reach,

your part completed.

 

(originally published in For A Better World)

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