Tag Archives: inspirational

The Zoo

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Animals galore,

Abound in the zoo.

A weasel, a pigeon,

And a hippo or two.

 

There’s the shark in a frenzy,

So ready to bite.

And I saw penguin,

In a suit that was tight.

 

There are tigers uncaged,

Just roaming the streets!

And silly young monkeys,

That are looking for treats!

 

Some holiday cheer,

Abounds at the zoo.

They’re looking for animals,

They’re looking at you.

 

The cages are homes,

And jobs that we need,

The zoo doesn’t keep us,

And we need to feed.

 

Wants and desires,

Are what keep us locked in.

The way we move forward,

Sometimes it’s a sin.

 

We build the cages,

That lock us all in.

Freedom’s a myth,

That we fear we might win.

 

What animal are you,

As you journey through life?

Smile at the humour.

And challenge the strife!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you see what I see?

29 Replies

This was originally published in 2018 but I think it’s still relevant today. I’m taking a little break from writing. I hope you enjoy.

“It’s raining!  Everything is wet and miserable.  I can’t enjoy a day that is so dull!”

“It’s raining!  Everything is wet and wonderful.  I can’t help enjoying a day that is so vibrant!”

Ask any police officer at the scene of any crime. Each witness will have a different version. And to each one of them it is the absolute truth. Why? That’s easy:  perception.

There are over 7 billion people on this planet and trust me, that means 7 billion opinions.  But in all honesty the only opinion that actually matters is mine. Or, yours for you. Are you confused yet?

As I’m writing this, the day is slightly overcast and actually quite dull.   I love days like this. The pace is a little slower, I don’t have to worry about the sun being too hot or getting a sunburn.   Those are bonus days for me! I even like a decent rain. To watch the water droplets caress the windows as they slowly meander downwards. It’s like diamonds on a crown. You just can’t cash them in!

How we perceive what is right in front of us is predicated on several things.  Our vision of course is paramount but also the shades we wear over our eyes and I’m not talking about the ones you buy.  They say that people see what they want to see or that they wear rose-coloured glasses.  All this means is that we interpret what we see differently. Someone who has lived far too long in drought conditions will love the sound and sight of a gentle rain. Someone who comes from a rainy country will not.

All our experiences will have an impact on how we perceive things.  I hate some shades of pink so anything that has that shade on it is automatically going to go into my ‘not liking’ category. It may not be logical or even fair but that’s part of my makeup. We all have our idiosyncrasies, our likes and dislikes. And all of those play into how we understand things. I can honestly say it’s a bias that we all have.

People usually judge other people in the first few seconds of meeting them. It‘s almost unconsciously done. But the trick is being able to modify that opinion once more data is forthcoming. If I see someone shouting angrily at another I’m going to immediately form the opinion that they’re not a nice person.  I know nothing of the circumstances or the people involved. It may not be anger, it may be frustration.  The point is, I don’t know.  I formed an opinion without all the facts.  Something that is happening much too often these days.  Hopefully I will get the rest of the data and will then be able to amend my opinion.

It is a wise person who can admit when they are wrong.

 

Angel’s Tears

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A lonely child by the window sat,

And watched the rain fall down.

Rivulets formed on the glassy panes.

The drops a diamond crown.

 

A mother tried to soothe her child,

And told a story from long ago.

About an angel lost in heaven,

Who had no where to go.

 

Hid amongst the clouds so high,

She feared the face of God.

But He knew and He is kind,

He cleared her celestial fog.

 

“Fear not child, my love is true”,

Came a gentle voice.

”I’ll always be beside you,

If that would be your choice”.

 

The frightened angel dried her tears.

And took the outstretched hand.

“Forgive me please my dearest Lord,

I did not understand.”

 

But still sometimes the tears do fall.

It’s a difficult path to keep.

Fear and sorrow overcome,

And then the angels weep.

 

So next you see a peaceful rain,

Remember well this tale.

Never fear the face of God,

He’ll not let you fail.

Hubris

35 Replies

This a blast from my past, March 2019 in fact.  I hope you enjoy it.

Hubris, It’s a funny old word, not widely used but I think we see way too many examples of it every day.  The Great Sage GOOGLE says:

hu·bris

/ˈ(h)yo͞obrəs/

noun

  1. excessive pride or self-confidence.

I am a big believer in confidence. We need to be confident in our daily activities, in our workplace and in ourselves. But sometimes that confidence becomes inflated and the result is hubris. And the way in which we experience it, can sometimes be hilarious.

Have you ever been in a bar and spent your time watching what the other people are doing? Of course, one must do this with at least a beer in hand so as not to appear to be a pervert. Put away your camera phone and I would suggest that you not take notes. As you were watching them, the bartender is quite possibly taking note of you. Try explaining this to the police!

But I digress. In any large group of people, especially where alcohol is involved, they’ll always be at least one peacock. An individual who believes that he, or she, is the pinnacle of human evolution. They will prance, yes I said prance, around expecting adulation. They never for one moment think that they are anything less than perfection.

Some people are able to go through their entire lives believing in their perfection. It is quite sad when reality sets in. But not unexpected. After all, Society is the one who feeds in to this idea of hubris. We don’t let our children see reality. We coddle them and praise them, as we should, but they also need to know that failure does happen. We need to understand failure in order to appreciate success. I read a story many years ago about a grandfather who took his small grandson skating. When they were on the ice the older man lifted his arms and said “fall down” the child did just that. This happened several times in a row and the child asked why his beloved grandfather was making him fall down. The answer was simple: “You need to learn that it’s okay to fall down. When you’re not afraid of failure you can truly succeed.”

Our children need to learn that it’s okay to fail. It is part of the equation which leads to success. You are not ‘less than’ if you don’t succeed the first time, you’re simply on the learning curve. We need to let people, children, know what failure is like. Otherwise, we will create a society with way too much hubris and not enough compassion.

The lessons we learn as children mold us into the adults we will become.

 

Quite a Start

35 Replies

I thought I felt a hand,

Upon my shoulder rest.

I never would have thought . . .

Perhaps I should have guessed.

 

I turned to see this person,

Who quietly had approached.

I had in mind a word,

To be used as I reproached!

 

But then I had a feeling,

A joy within my heart.

No one was behind me,

That gave me quite a start!

 

Then I felt a presence,

It started with a hug.

Then I felt a blessing,

And my heart a little tug.

 

Just before me stood,

What I could not see.

But my soul knew differently,

It was the Holy Three.

 

I was in their arms,

Safe within their love.

They will always be,

A presence from above.

 

Unplugged

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Have you ever wondered what it would be like to turn off, well, everything? Have you ever wondered what the wind sounds like or are you too intent on looking at your phone? I have stated in the past that I wonder what would happen if we lost all power, all electronics. Yes, it would be devastating on so many levels, medical equipment, elevators, heat etc. etc. etc. but what if?

In my past I have spent days, many days in the wilderness where there is no electricity. You get up with the dawn and you go to sleep by fire light. The sky is breathtaking in its majesty, sound is magnified but harmonious, there are no screeching cars here, everything is more . . .  present. You can’t see things like that in the city because of light pollution. So much pollution.  But it exists.

I have always found the first night to be a little, awkward. It took me a while to get used to the, not silence, but the gentle background sounds that were often difficult to identify. There was a gentle rustle of the leaves and grasses. The unknown bird or animal squawking, whether as predator or prey was unclear. I could feel the wind on my face and smell the earthy scents of honesty. Because that is what it was, it wasn’t adulterated or modified or improved upon. It was reality in its truest sense of the word.

In our busy lives we rarely have time to sit back and unplug. We should. Would you take a few minutes every day and just turn everything off? Phones, computers, tablets and radios and TVs and, and, and. Now just listen. What do you hear? Yes, I am sitting in front of my computer writing this but I’m also listening and what I hear is fascinating. I can hear cars in the distance, not loud. Oh, I just heard a bird cry. I wonder if it is in anticipation or in fear. I’ll never know. I can hear people talking but I can’t make out what they’re saying. A car door slams. I am in a town, a downtown area. But it is surprisingly quiet. I listen. I can hear a clock ticking in my background, it’s in the other room. If I stop talking, I can just make out the refrigerator, I think. It’s quietly humming. I can hear a very faint roaring sound and it takes me a minute to realize that it’s the sound the car tires make as they travel over the roads. Interesting. I never thought of it before. We take so many sounds for granted but we never actually realize what we’re listening to. Much like talking to each other or listening to strangers. Do we really hear what they’re saying? I wonder.

Take a minute to unplug and see what you can hear…

Give Thanks

37 Replies

Give thanks for the person,

You are here today.

Tomorrow is uncertain,

Next week is unclear.

 

Give thanks for the gifts,

That are given your way.

Remember your giving,

Should not be from fear.

 

Give thanks for the time,

you still have to stay.

Value your selves,

And keep your friends near.

 

Give of yourself,

In your own private away.

And there is your thanks,

On their faces so dear

April’s Showers

44 Replies

She hated her name, she hated this month, and above all she hated this rain!  April clutched her handbag a little tighter to her chest as well as her slightly damp newspaper.  It was just a few more steps before she could get out of this relentless rain and into her nice, warm coffee shop.

With a sigh April sat down at her usual table and smiled at the waitress.  She knew what April always ordered and she would bring her a coffee and a warm croissant just like yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that.  When her coffee arrived April wrapped her chilly hands around the cup and breathed in the hot steaming aroma of freshly brewed coffee.  It was coffee, it wasn’t a Grande non-fat latte with soy milk and half fat hazelnut vanilla shavings or something else bizarre. It was just coffee: good old black, strong coffee. For the first time that day she sighed and allowed herself to relax.

This was the time of day April enjoy above all else.  She could sit and relax over her cup of coffee, she could read the paper, and she could think about the day’s events: what she wanted to do, what she should do, and what she had done.  As she was sipping her coffee and nibbling on her croissant the door opened and with it came a nasty, cold wet wind.  And all April could do was think about how much she hated this month and shiver.

The person that came through the door and intruded on April’s musing was a man.  Physically he was an attractive man: tall, well-built, muscular.  But he had one glaring imperfection: he was smiling!  The first words out of his mouth were the dreaded words that April had been hearing her whole life:

“April showers bring May flowers!”  The man smiled and shook his umbrella causing more drops of cold water to infest the room.  “I would like a cup of very hot, very strong, very ordinary coffee, if I may.”

April cringed, he was a happy man.

“I must admit I absolutely love the April showers.”  The man positively exuded well-being.  “The rain washes the world clean and leaves it smelling like spring.  What could be more uplifting than a rainy day in spring?”

The waitress behind the counter chuckled to herself.  She glanced over at April knowing full well that April was not a happy person in the morning and she didn’t enjoy other people being happy in the morning either.  It seemed to interfere with her most comfortable state of miserable.

If the gentleman in question had simply picked up his coffee and exited the café the day would have continued in exactly the same manner as it always had.  But this gentleman decided to stay and enjoy his coffee.  He looked around the room and saw only one customer.  Like a predator sensing fresh meat he moved towards April’s table.

“Excuse me Miss may I join you?”  He asked pleasantly enough.

Without raising her head she replied, “I prefer to be alone, thank you.”  Her answer was curt but not impolite.

“Nonsense, no one should drink their coffee alone.”  And the man sat.

April looked up, too shocked to actually say anything.  For the first time in her life her mind was blank.  There was no witty retort on the tip of her tongue to spew forth and lash at this intrusive stranger.  All she could do was stare and hope that the disdain on her face was clearly visible.

“As I said no one should drink their coffee alone and certainly not a beautiful woman.”  He was still smiling.  “And my name is Bill.”

April couldn’t stop staring.  She knew that in polite company she should smile demurely and offer him her name.  But she couldn’t do it.  If she told him her name he would say what a thousand other people have said to her in that same happy tone: ‘April showers bring May flowers!’  She hated her name!  She did consider coming up with an alias on the spot, something like Hermione or Persephone.  But she couldn’t do it.  She sighed, it was her lot in life and she was honest enough to accept the consequences.

“My name is April.”

As she said her name, April looked down at her coffee, her half eaten croissant and her unopened paper. She didn’t want to see the look on his face as he said those horrible words she had grown to hate.  But one second turned in to two and then three and still he said nothing.  So April raised her head and looked at him.

“I know what it’s like to have a name that is used in other contexts.  I get called the bill collector, or asked if I have heard the joke about the Billboard.  I could use the named William but it gives people pleasure to make silly little jokes about my name and it doesn’t cost me anything.  People need a little silly in their lives and I am actually quite honoured that I can put a smile on someone’s face.  It does get a little tedious sometimes but it’s still a smile.

April grimaced,  “I find it tedious all the time!  The rain is unceasing.  The damp makes my hair frizzy, my clothes get wet, my feet are constantly cold and for someone to come up to me and sing that silly song about showers and May flowers it’s horrible!”

Bill took a sip of his steaming coffee and pondered what she had said for just a moment.

“Actually I think it’s quite wonderful that you remind people of the beauty that comes about because of the rain in April.  You could say you’re an icon that helps people to remember the beauty that’s out there and that will soon be all around us because it’s the beginning of spring. I would think you’d be quite pleased.”

April heaved a sigh and shook her head.

“How can you be so happy with such horrible things going on in the world?  People are dying in other countries for political agendas we can’t fully understand.  People are getting mugged on the street for $20 in their wallet.  There are starving children in this city not just in other countries of the world and we sit here drinking our coffee as if nothing was wrong.  How can you justify that?”

Bill’s smile wavered just a fraction and he shook his head.  “You can never justify the horrible things that are going on in the world.  You can support the agencies that help those who are most in need.  And you can honour those who are fighting to protect our way of life. You can live your life to the fullest and never forget that there were those who gave up their lives so that you and I could sit here and drink a cup of coffee in relative peace and security.”

April grasped her almost empty coffee cup tighter, her croissant and paper completely forgotten.  “I can’t just shut off my mind with all the horrible things that are going on outside that door.”  April was exasperated that this man didn’t understand. What right did she have to be happy?

Bill stared at this obviously distraught woman.  There was more wrong here than just a individual’s dislike of a song.  She was so caught up in what was wrong, evil, and hateful that she was missing the most important thing of all.  He couldn’t leave this woman wallowing in this state, he had to open her eyes and make her see.

“April, I have just met you.  Out of the blue I chose to walk into this café to sit at this table and to speak to you.  Don’t you find it interesting that I would choose to come in today?  I’ve walked by this café, a hundred times and never thought twice about coming in.  But today of all days, I did.  Maybe it was the rain that brought me in.  Maybe you and I were meant to meet.  Maybe in 50 years we will be telling our grandchildren about how I picked you up in a café.”  Bill smile was quite lopsided at this point.

At first April was too stunned to respond.  But somewhere deep inside her she did respond to this very strange, very attractive man.  Somewhere deep inside her a smile was trying to burst through.

“Grandchildren? Now how do I know you’ve got the right stuff?”

Bill’s smile became even bigger.  He knew he had made inroads.

“Is that a smile I see creeping up the side of your mouth?  If it is, it is, I know it is, April you are smiling!”

April was almost smiling.  Her hands were clutched around her coffee cup as if she was holding onto an anchor, trying desperately not to give in.  She took a sip, and then looked up at her table companion.

“I know I tend to see the negative side of things, but we can never forget that the negative does exists.”

For the first time since he sat down at the table Bill stopped smiling.

“You are absolutely right April, we can never forget what horrible things are going on in this world.  But it’s also very important that we never forget what an incredible world we actually have.  There are good people here.  Everywhere you turn.  We should never turn a blind eye to what is bad in the world.  In the same token, we must never turn a blind eye or be afraid to acknowledge that beautiful things exist.  The simple act of the sun rising in the morning and its rays reflecting off the dew on a rose petal should make us give thanks.”

April looked at this strange man, this strange intruder, and she did smile. Maybe he was right.  Maybe we need to be aware of the bad things in the world and focus on the good.  It was raining today and it was cold.  Maybe tomorrow the sun would shine. Maybe today was not the best of all days, but tomorrow might be.  Maybe the showers did bring something good, something positive.  There’s another song that April thought of at that moment.  She didn’t remember the name of the song or who sang it.  But there was one line: “. . . accentuate the positive.”  That was a good thought.

Just at that moment, the rain stopped, and a ray of sunshine poked through the clouds.  The sun and the rain work hand-in-hand.  Just like we all should.

Two strangers met at a table in a café on a rainy April day, but parted as friends, smiling.

 

 

 

 

 

Walk With Me

38 Replies

Would you like to walk with me?

The journey maybe long.

Side-by-side together,

Nothing can go wrong.

 

Put your hand in mine,

As we journey on our way.

Never fear and don’t forget,

The things we see each day.

 

Sometimes on a journey,

It causes us to part.

Perhaps it’s not an ending,

But just another start.

 

And then there’s things that happen,

To make us change our tune.

But with the bad there’s always good,

Let’s hope the best is soon.

 

The journey only lasts so long,

One day it all will end.

Between that time and what’s to come,

Best wishes I will send.

 

Perhaps in time we’ll meet again,

A friendship never dies.

Until that time, I’ll keep you close,

A smile will be my guise.

Wisdom 101

46 Replies

The wisest statement ever uttered is: “I don’t know”. It implies a humility and a willingness to learn. We are not born wise; we do not take classes that teach us to be wise. Wisdom is formed through experiences, through hardships, and through heartache. It’s called life. It’s something to be embraced and accepted. Some of the least formally educated people are the wisest. And vice versa.  Indeed, some of the wisest statements have come from children. From their innocence. There is no template for wisdom. We should take note.

Knowledge is not linear.  Each item we learn about opens up an avenue to another which opens up an avenue to another and before you know it you have a spiderweb. Spiderwebs with tendrils that meander through our entire lives and connect us with others. The willingness to explore those spiderwebs is what, in part, allows our wisdom to grow. The accumulation of information forms a basis upon which we can flourish. And wisdom is not tangible. You cannot look at a person and say: “Well, they are wise”. Wisdom is ephemeral, gossamer like and so very important to our lives. Seeking wisdom should always be paramount. But it also does not mean that everything we say or think is wise. We can show exceptional wisdom one moment and incredible stupidity the next. But part of being wise is accepting the fact that we are not always. Bit of a conundrum, I think.

We seem to think differently these days. It’s like our focus has changed from learning information to gaining entertainment.  The ultimate goal is not one of wisdom but of notoriety.I remember when selfies were self-congratulatory pats on your own back for a job well done. Now it’s a way to document the world around you without actually engaging because you are looking through your camera phone. Looking at your phone. I remember when phones had cords so that you were forced to stay in one place and pay attention to the conversation or conversely it was used as a vehicle for dispatching an errant husband.   Oops.

I don’t think our future is hopeless but I wonder if it is helpless to stop the changes that are barrelling through. I hope we come to our senses and learn that wisdom is achievable if we have a willingness. Future be damned, it will get here one day.