A BRAND NEW LIGHT THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN

Who knew that buying a fun Date Night deck of cards could bring such uplift?

What do you know?

Turns out it really isn't that difficult. 

I guess it never was. 

You hear a lot of times where couples find challenge in maintaining the new energy in their relationships, falling into a pattern without intrigue or innovation. 

Well, that's silly. 

There can be something NEW every day! Case in point ... have you ever thought of making candles together? Bet not! 

But I do get it. Everyday life can come along and set solid the routine. Such a routine routine can steal away the idea of new adventures. 

That's why I believe couples need to keep an open and flexible mind. The idea of no new horizons must come from an old and lazy way of thinking. 

My wife and I do well in considering new trails to blaze, especially since we get in a 30-minute walk daily. 

For Valentine's Day, I bought my wife a book "Fun & Adventurous Date Night Box - Scratch Off Card Game with Exciting Date Ideas." Within it, there are 35 cards representing a creative date idea a couple can use each week.

They even make it somewhat suspenseful by having the ideas on the cards accessible after scratching off the gray covering, like a lottery scratch-off ticket. 

So far, we've had three creative "Dates" - a scavenger hunt around the house, a Dollar Tree 5-gift extravaganza, and for tonight: making our own candles. A brilliant idea, these date suggestions help to channel the intrigue and adventure that is already alive within the relationship. 

I think couples just need a structure and a nudge. The love is already there, the fun is already there, the connection is already there. 

Nothing is lost really except for possibly a bit of focus.

And with that refocusing can come a ton of fun, some adventures never dreamed of, and the return of a light that has never gone out. 

Come on folks. It's not that difficult. Turns out it never really was. 

#justwrite31

https://www.amazon.com/Romantic-Couples.../dp/B08YWP5QRF

 

The Gift of Yes

 

Today I saw a photo within one of those Facebook memories.

Not just any photo.

It was one of those photos that stands out, has one take pause, and then offer a message, magically captured within the camera’s lens and upon the picture frame.

1000 words? Neigh, this would offer, somehow, so many more … at this moment in time, for this mind of mine, anyway. 

 

Here was a daughter and a mother.

 

On a train.

 

The young one resting her head upon the shoulder of the mother. 

 

Beyond the veil of a simple train ride – a long, tiring one at that – I perceived a storyline, the length measured within lifetimes.   

 

For some reason, I imagined that once upon a time these two souls – presently named “Dawn” and “Samantha” – gave each other the gift of a "yes." At some point, in between what we understand as a life on earth, the two spirits looked upon another and decided they would follow through on playing the role of mother and daughter.  

 

As if, the words would have been: “Shall we be born into form once more? Shall we be family? Shall you be mine, and I be yours?” 

 

As if, the answer would have been “yes.” 

 

Is such a conversation real? Is there a reality of “another side” and the return here again and again? 

 

Who knows?

 

Who knows what takes place beyond this mere measly lower plane of awareness. 

 

What I do know, though, is that on some level we all answer the question of whether to relate with another person with a “yes” … or “no.” It can take place in the most simple way – a first date, a neighborhood game of basketball, a support group meetup, a lifetime of marriage. 

 

It reminds me of the Joni Mitchell song “Secret Place.”  It goes like this:

 

Out of all of the girls that you see
In bleachers and cafe windows
Sitting flirting with someone
Looking to have some fun
Why did you pick me?
For the secret place

 

Think of all the relations that have taken place – for a season, for a lifetime, for a reason – wherein on some very real level, both of you decided to join here in experience. 

 

On whatever level the choice was made, for better or worse, for the sake of lessons and growth, for the grand life experience that relationships can bring … once upon a time we made an agreement.  

 

This is the story that this photo told me today. It’s a sweet one … full of mystery, purpose and beauty. 

 

We are indeed blessed. 

 

Whenever we recognize the gift that is “yes.” 

What Comes After Meditation?

For this writing, I did an experiment to see what came through after my morning meditation. Hmm, only took about 25 minutes. Nice!

What comes after meditation?
After some sacred time in contemplation
After the bliss of silent whisper, a surreal song
The gentle reminders of an eternal calm
What arrives after that serene stillness sublime?
Perhaps a few words placed in meter and rhyme
But the one major theme that can not be denied
Is that there is an outer world, as there is one inside
There is a world not always made of sugar and spice 
Upon arising from meditation, there is always this life

Life in all of its many myriads of form
Some I wish to discard; some I wish to adorn
There are parts of life that are, yup, a complete drag
And then the treasures of experiences I’m so glad I’ve had 
There are ups and downs and smiles and frowns
With a circus of every sort of face on the clowns 
Yes, this can be a circus with its wacky wacked-out whacks
And stacks of stupidity with attacks from the back 
Yet there is also a nature supreme beyond this mere dream
Bringing a beauty, a light, a love - beyond that which is seen  

So what do we with all this after sitting so still?
Surrender to the circus or to God’s divine will 
Maybe we embrace whatever comes our way
And leave it to the archangels to clear clouds away
Perhaps we bring that inner stillness to all that we have here
Or just carry it closer, as the darkness comes near  
Life will bring us everything, in a million different forms 
With our inner light, we can weather any turbulent storms
And so what comes after meditation to this poet’s mind?
I imagine some inspiration born of meter and rhyme

Walking The Daily Walk With You

For my wife, our 10 year anniversary at hand, as I reflect on the walks we take every day.

Step after step, some slow, some swift, left and then right 

Down Berry Street, east on Mt. Vernon, then south on McKnight

Looking for relief from the world of mankind, looking for love 

We take our daily walk with nothing but the sky and clouds above 

Passing trees and lawns, passing neighbors who oftentimes wave 

Trying to process the junk and gunk of the working day 

Beyond the retirement home stillness, beyond friendly Ricardo’s

This is the path of least resistance; this is simply the way it goes 

Sometimes in life, there really is nothing more to say or do 

Walking the daily walk with you

 

Recalling different memories, my father’s “It’s great to be alive” 

Down Berry Street, left on Mt. Vernon, then right on Gold Lake Drive

We walk against the wind heading west, but we do our best 

An abandoned house, a barking dog or two, a grounded bird’s nest

Planning future adventures – some bring agitation, some bring smiles 

Another installment for our friendly visit for “The Nala Files” 

Past the council member’s manor, alongside school grounds and gravel 

With mixed emotions … recalling the one missing on our travels

Sometimes in life, there really is nothing more to say or do 

Walking the daily walk with you

 

Now over the years, there is a sacred stroll that we can recall

Embracing experiences from the first day, embracing it all 

Our 10-year anniversary, April 7 it will be, so much we have seen

With so many walks and talks, and so many miles in between

For better or worse, we find the laugh in the gap, we enjoy the ride

For beyond the bless or curse, the Divine joins us there in stride 

The path of least resistance; never to turn away or snub 

It was there, Point Loma, Santa Barbara Street, the Thursday Club

When you walked the aisle, in front of family and God, the ocean view

Sometimes in a lifetime, there truly is nothing more to say or do 

Walking the daily walk with you

The Agitating Muse

 

During my 31-day commitment of writing and posting a daily piece, this came through ... most likely from the incessant voice of a muse that just won't quit. Thank goodness. 

Oh my goodness – your voice, your encouragement, it beckons
And geez, sitting my butt in my chair is a good idea, I reckon
But there are 1001 distractions that keep knocking at me
Organize the pencil drawer, eat a cupcake, climb a tree
Answer another email, gotta empty that inbox you know
Woops - here comes some more email, only 5 more now to go
Clean off the desk completely, maybe use microfiber on the screen
Must make sure before I start writing that everything is clean
Clean and clear, everything in its place, nothing to erase
So that when I am ready, I can convene sweetly face to face
With the guiding presence that delivers a gift that I cannot lose
Life is grand with the nagging inspiration of the agitating muse 

The agitating muse – OK, OK, I can hear you screaming my name
Whenever it is time to channel your words, it’s always the same 
I get annoyed with every tasky task that is put upon my plate 
I wince in pain, fidget in my chair, find creative ways to hesitate 
I feel like my body is moving in one direction and it’s all wrong
I want to be faithful to the lilting voice echoing a sublime song 
But I got all this shit to do, not even sure what it’s all for 
My left brain and right brain are in an all-out war 
When it gets this crazy, I feel this aggravation and agitation
I long for the action that comes from pure motivation 
I gotta find a way out of this conflict or I will blow a fuse
If only all I had to heed was the nagging inspiration of the agitating muse 

Perhaps there is a way, a path, an opening, a road of real recovery 
Leading to a clearing in a field we share, a place of deep discovery 
Where chaos can reign and rule over the outside world of the blind 
Noticed, acknowledged, accepted, but not followed by a wandering mind  
Here - sitting calm, with a centered and still body is best, I reckon
Oh my goodness – your voice, your encouragement, it beckons
And yes it is actually beautiful, not agitating at all, when I listen clearly 
It only wants to hold high a vision; it only wants to hold me dearly
And whisper its wonder through inspirational pictures and lyrical tone 
Reminding me that at the deepest core, I am never alone 
Let the emails pile up, let the desktop get cluttered, there is only one thing to do 
I am here, with my partner in prose – the astonishing, generous, faithful muse 

SOMEBODY'S BABY

(A poem inspired by a homeless woman I will most likely never see again.)

 

I walked our regular daily walk today

Seeing the routine views along the way 

Trees and streets, and then skies up there 

I observe the sights - I breathe the air 

Then quickly something catches my attention 

Shaking my head, I grasp for comprehension

A troubled one - limping, dirty, disheveled - an alone and lost lady

Once upon a time, that was somebody's baby

 

That was the phrase that flashed across my mind

Too late, to now turn my head away, blind 

Where is she going, where did she come from

Too easy to throw her aside like some runaway bum

No, this one, like all of us, has a history and a life 

She has had very similar battles, struggles and fights

Perhaps cradled, as an infant, in warm arms - maybe?

The truth is, that was indeed somebody's baby 

 

Who does this soul belong to, an angel she must have 

Someone who watches over her, even with the past she’s had

Whatever happened, there was at least a father and a mother 

For how long this lasted, we will probably never discover 

But she is a human – once and therefor forever one of us

Embracing her in some way, a true and faithful community must 

Someday to reside in a sacred place – calm, serene, shady 

For this is somebody's baby … this is somebody's baby 

   

A BEAUTY BEYOND COMPARE

Today, for a daily dose of writing prose, I keep it simple.

I marvel at the vision before me.

A youngster - a mere 2 and 2/3 year old. 

I write this one with a heart weary of the bad news of the day.

That can be kept at bay.

For today, here is a grand opportunity to see beyond the dark edges brought to us by a world which has forgotten its source. 

Here is my chance. 

A simple glance - upon this illumined face, the deep round eyes, holding not one hint of disguise. The pure expression, filled with the unbridled joy of brand new exploration.

Here is Abigail. 

Holding her Abby Doll. Apparently inseparable, at least in images in recent memory.

Here is Abigail, My niece’s child. Sister of Allison - also new to this new world. 

May her light, may their light, guide the way. Not just for themselves, but for anyone who has the opportunity to join in this experience, a chance at a glance - in a series of photos I wish to share. 

A beauty beyond compare.