A simple breath, the bubble forms
then floats in search of things adored
keen awareness, filling bareness
collections placed and interlaced
a meaning soon restored.
She dipped below an ocean wave
And gave with grace a treasure saved
of centuries old, its story told
seasons more to yet unfold
A single pearl unscathed.
From Collections from Breathing – a WIP book of poetry
I face less fears than I once did
those growing pains while still a kid
have turned into a pyramid
of learning tools and skills.
– C. Dennis-Willingham ©
daily word prompt: Faceless
(Just ask how long it took me to choose font colors)
image created by picmonkey.com (I didn’t know it could do that!)
via Creature
A sunny spring day and all the kids were across the street playing. I decided to take Buffy outside with me without a leash, something I never did – not even as a ten-year-old.
We went across the street to the Mandy’s to play with the other neighborhood kids. Buffy was so happy to be the center of attention. But she didn’t know the limits like we did.
I saw her run towards the street. I saw a car going to fast coming down the street. I yelled for her to come back but she didn’t. She ran in front of a parked car. The speeding Mr. Jolly didn’t have the chance to see her.
I heard the thudding sound under the car. I heard the screech of the tires. I heard the screaming inside my head and the bursting of my heart.
Me, the one who treated even my stuffed animals with care and tenderness. And I would have to live with this new feeling of intense guilt.
I know. Not such a “jolly” memory for today’s prompt. Nevertheless, a true story that changed my life. Life is full of lessons tethered to both good and bad memories. Over the years, I have loved many dogs and I do my very best to keep them out of harm’s way.
via Jolly
I just had a birthday
but they say it’s been a year
so I am here
standing strong
a thumbs up and a cheer.
Fifteen years ago, I wrote an entry in my journal about turning 45. Soon afterward, I copied the pages and turned it into a piece of art. I painted a journal (the image is flat) then made it three-dimensional by coating a separate piece of card stock with gesso. I glued it so it would protrude from the canvas.
In the original journal, I wrote how, inside, I was the same person who played guitar at sunsets, had intimate conversations with perfect strangers, and questioned everything about life.
Today, I have more answers. But I will always question.
What I positively know to be true is this–a line from a song:
I have seen His/Her face many times.
And for that, I am forever grateful.
And, as my 28 year-old son once said at the age of two,
And he said this when no music was playing. A lesson to live by.
I know, I know. It’s hard sometimes to get motivated to eat right and exercise, not only our bodies, but our minds. But since I’m about to scroll down another line to hit the year I was born (lucky cursor), I thought I’d find some inspiration.
Aging is a relative term. Some might feel their life is almost over when they hit the big 30. Others, like me, understand that we knew very little at that time.
As actress Helen Mirren said, “Your 40s are good. Your 50s are great. Your 60s are fab. And 70 is f*@king awesome!”
Want to keep your get-up-and-go getting up and going? Ponder these:
— “For the unlearned, old age is winter; for the learned, it is the season of the harvest.” ~Hasidic saying
— “I believe the second half of one’s life is meant to be better than the first half. The first half is finding out how you do it. And the second half is enjoying it.” ~Frances Lear
— “None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.” ~Henry David Thoreau
— “I am appalled that the term we use to talk about aging is ‘anti.’ Aging is as natural as a baby’s softness and scent. Aging is human evolution in its pure form.”~ Jamie Lee Curtis
— “The great thing about getting older is that you become more mellow. Things aren’t as black and white, and you become much more tolerant. You can see the good in things much more easily rather than getting enraged as you used to do when you were young.” ~Maeve Binchy
— “We don’t grow older, we grow riper.” ~Pablo Picasso
— “You’re either marvelous or you’re boring, regardless of your age.” – Morrisse
— “Laughter is timeless. Imagination has no age. And Dreams are forever.” – Walt Disney
— “Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be.” ~Robert Browning
Accept and be loyal to yourself.
And remember, that WON’T and CAN’T are two entirely different kettles.
The CAN polish is free.
photo 1: Royal Free Stock Photos
Painting 2: by Claude Joseph Bail (1862-1921)
Daily Word Prompt: Loyal
I was too young to remember the times my dad came home with blood on his clothes. It was my older sister who told me how our non-violent mother would cringe at the sight.
Interesting that, even though I was two at the time, my father’s evening work would influence my life and expand my awareness.
The blood wasn’t my dad’s. Not then. His own blood was spilled years before when he boxed for the army.
The blood on my father’s clothes were from young men who, like my father, tried to prove something, make something of themselves in the boxing ring “at a time when boxing mattered.” (Quote by Mark Brown, my first and continuing boxing coach)
(My dad’s in the middle)
Participants of this sport or not, think of the lessons learned in boxing metaphors.
(I keep these 1950’s baby rattles in my boxing bag as a reminder)
Ask yourselves these questions:
— Do you feel trapped? Cornered? Are you UP AGAINST THE ROPES.
Try maneuvering to the center of the ring.
— Do you keep yourself from getting hurt, literally or figuratively? PROTECT YOURSELF AT ALL TIMES.
Do this because, as my dad used to say, “You are your own best friend.”
— Do you care about others? Then you are IN THEIR CORNER.
Make sure you find someone who will be in yours.
— Think you’ve hit bottom? Then you are DOWN FOR THE COUNT.
Do you have the stamina and willpower to get back up even if the odds feel against you?
— Have you gone too far with your criticisms? Then you’ve delivered an illegal A LOW BLOW.
Hurting others will eventually lead to hurting yourself.
— Are you thinking about THROWING IN THE TOWEL? Have you given up?
Sometimes we have to say “enough is enough.” Consider the towel carefully.
— Do you miss dangers coming your way? Do you LET YOUR GUARD DOWN?
How vulnerable are you willing to be?
— Do you ignore rude comments and take adversity in stride? Do you ROLL WITH THE PUNCHES?
Good! Backbones and self-confidence are sure wins.
— Were you luckily interrupted before sh..t hit the fan? Then you were SAVED BY THE BELL.
Who doesn’t love a blessing in disguise?
Because, at the end of the day when the rounds are over, you can kick up your feet and know that you fought even when tired, and you put up a good fight.
(painting by C. Dennis-Willingham)
The same photo from a different perspective
The same “fact” with opposing views
It is rumored that Native Americans never “saw” the “invisible” European ships coming toward them, that it was too “alien” to their experiences for their minds to grasp the concept.
However:
There’s a more obvious answer for the odd times when Cook’s ship didn’t spur a reaction from people on the shore. While we can’t disprove the extraordinary notion that the ships were indeed invisible, I think the more prosaic solution is that the natives were living on the edge of survival, and that anything that wasn’t a threat or didn’t contribute to their well-being could be safely ignored.
And as panhandlers and wheelchair users can tell you, just because you’re ignored doesn’t mean you’re invisible.
Change can be hard. Change takes you out of your comfort zone, out from under your safe and warm blankie. Yes, change can sometimes be scary. But without it, how do we grow? How do we learn anything new? Without change, how can we gather a new awareness of ourselves and the world around us?
Go ahead and try something new, something different. What’s the worse that could happen?
How about going from this:
To this?
Or, would you rather be dormant?
Dormant – daily word prompt
Carolyn Dennis-Willingham 