Tagged: love

Poems – Just Be Positive.

We’ve all had bad days, right?  They come with the territory…they’re just a simple (well, not always so simple) fact of life.  It sounds easy, but we have to take them at face value and not allow a bad day to become a bad few days.  Let it all end when the eyes close at night, then wake up with a new perspective.  Here’s a few words to accompany what I’m saying…nothing fancy, nothing too poetic (well, not poetic at all), just having some fun with a nice little mantra to mutter when things aren’t going as we’d like.  Just a little something that I (and hopefully you as well) could use.  Blessings to you today!

Poems – Sketches of Possibility.

Thoughts are fun…writing is, too.  The two go very well together.  On occasion, I like to remind myself to slow down, think, relax, and take in the moments.  Sort of a mindfulness approach, but mostly just my way of remembering to be appreciative.  It’s so easy to complain in this world. Thinking and writing clean the slate and clear the head….and enable us to realize how green our own pastures are.

Peace and happiest of days to all!

Storytime Saturday, featuring an excerpt from A Million Little Boxes – a work story. 

I decided that I’d refuse to let a building define me. I’d refuse to allow any company, or entity, or job, or anything define who I was as a person. As a human. As a man. The contents of that building did not define my success. My success was not in there. It’s in here. It’s within my chest. Within this soul. I am defined by who I am, and what I do…what I believe and what I feel…what I’m capable of…not by the whim of some fucking corporation. Interestingly, it was brought to my attention that I may be afraid to move forward, that I feared success more than I feared failure. The thought of that shit had me up in arms, like “what?” You’ve got to be kidding me, right? “All I want is success”, I’d tell myself.  But you know what?  Maybe I was.  

Poems – Following Daydreams.

If you’ve visited this space before, you by now may be fully aware of the fact that I love to dream.  If you’re new to this space, welcome aboard!  Hey, I’ll admit it…I am a professional dreamer.  I love a good daydream.  Who doesn’t, right?  I have an incredibly vivid imagination, and putting that imagination to work is a fun challenge.  You know what I’ve noticed, though?  Dreams are nothing without action.  They are just (super excellent) thoughts trapped within our brain until we do something about it.  It really all comes down to one thing…how bad do you want said dream?  If it’s worth accomplishing, then it’s worth the effort.  Let’s keep on dreaming…but let’s not don’t forget to do.  Peace and love (and good daydreams) to you all. 

Theatrical Thursday – Big (1988).

The year was 1988. I’d spent countless hours begging my mother incessantly in that desperate, nine year old beggary voice…begging for the chance to see Big in the theaters. I went so far as to cut the picture of it from the film section of the newspaper (it was a big, goofy picture of Tom Hank’s face), and I’d carry it around and show her with the hope of annoying her into taking me to see it. When she finally did, I loved it then and for many years to come. I’ve seen the film about 786 times to date, but seeing it again recently after a very long while opened my eyes to a few key elements that a nine year olds eyes will never see. The main character, Josh Baskin, wished “to be big”; he got his wish, and woke up one morning looking like grown up Tom Hanks. Most of the movie involved Tom acting like he was twelve, but what I hadn’t noticed before was the emphasis on choices. I had no idea that the movie was so complex; taken apart, it had some very deep inner workings.

As an adult, the kid found great success working at MacMillan Toys, great love with Susan (the love interest), and a maturity that most twelve year olds don’t possess. He also earned a pretty powerful conundrum that most kids don’t have to endure; having to choose between prematurely continuing a successful adult life, or reverting back to the comforting reality of his youth. In my opinion, the most powerful scene in the film was when he went back home, in adult form, and witnessed firsthand what he had, and ultimately would, miss out on if he chose the adult path. The ‘innocence’ of youth; friends, games, and family stared him in the face, and either decision that he made was bound to hurt someone. It showed that life revolves around choices, great or minor, and how ultimately, you have to make the decision that’s best for you.

He followed his heart and went back to his family and his young self in the end, but his decision to do so was embedded in my head for a few days after I’d watched the movie. So many of us in life, when confronted with great decisions, freeze up from indecision, and rather than formulate a well-calculated battle plan, we end up making none and float through life under the mercy of fate. It takes incredible character to exert the power of choice, despite the odds. Hey, if the kid in the film was able to make a sound decision that would affect the lives of everyone around him, then we should all be able to, right? Twenty-eight years after seeing Big, I finally got a sense of the soul of the movie; follow your heart, and you can’t go wrong. It’s never too late to learn that message.

Poems – Live Today

So if you’re reading this, then it’s a good sign…it means that you woke up today.  How awesome is that?  And how many people did not open their eyes this morning?  Think about it.  Let’s try to cast aside as many of the earthly troubles that we can today (jobs, finances, gossip, etc.), and take just a tiny moment to be thankful.  For the air that we’re breathing.  For the heart that is still beating.  For another crack at life…which is gifted, not guaranteed.   Let’s live today.  Best of days to you all!

Poems – Failure is OK.

Hey, we’ve all been there, right?  We’ve all failed at something…me, you, and everybody else…and we will most certainly fail at something yet to come.  It happens; that’s just life.  And you know what?  It’s ok!  So when we do, it’s important to alter our perspectives and accept it.  Just….accept it, fix what we can, learn from it, and move on.  Acceptance and courage can turn failure into a learning experience that we can use to grow beyond our limitations.  Think about it.  
Thanks for reading, and best of days to you all!

Poems – Vision. 

I am a huge dreamer.  I try to also be a huge doer.  It is a challenge to find that balance, since it’s often much easier to do the dreaming than it is finding the time and mojo to DO.  The two (hopefully) go hand in hand, as dreams are nothing but fairy tales without action.  As such, I am a huge advocate for dreaming and doing.  A major advocate for living life rather than just existing.  My poems are not meant to be preachy, “this is how you should live your life” style poems, but rather reminders of things that I think about.  Things that I have noticed in my own experiences and in my own walk of life.  I don’t pretend to have any answers at all.  But I’ll tell you what, the quest for those answers is fun…and it is my joy to write about those explorations.  In that vein, feel free to check out today’s observation.  We are all on this journey together…let’s try our best to dream and do.  I’m with you.  Best of luck to you today.