Do you wrap your shoulders in guilt?
Does it make you feel better?
Of course not.
You did what you did, but the moment has passed.
Perhaps it is regret that you are feeling.
Regret is better. It means you have taken that nugget,
examined it with neutral hands
and learned from it.
So, you wash your hands with compassionate soap
and remind yourself that you are not a fraud
but a human flawed
like everyone else.
Be brave and accept
being flawed only adds to your perfection.
You accept not your true self
You stepped, instead
into an guise
and bathed your limbs in bravado
the musky soap of self-deception
Don’t you know
you’re soaked in a false promise
to yourself, unrecognized?
Why shroud yourself in darkness,
within a cloud
of crystalized ice?
Do you not believe in yourself?
Are you afraid of the shadows?
Don’t you know
you’re cloak, soaked in fear
keeps you from paradise?
Shed that tattered, muscled cloak
It never truly keeps you warm.
There is no storm.
photo page source
daily prompt: Cloaked
Do not trespass upon my goldmine
try to uncover, take or polish my gems.
It is my shaft of discovery
waiting only for me
It is my quarry.
Why attempt to tend,
cultivate, till, harvest,
tame a terrain not your own?
I planted the seed
It is my terra firma.
Why mold a clay
with fraudulent hands
spinning, forming
on a potters wheel meant solely for me
when I am the potter of my destiny?
To understand my true legend,
I must do these things on my own.
Daily word prompt: Tame
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)
I learned of this quote years back during a yoga class. It’s stuck with me and I wanted to share it. That’s how I came upon this curious “wow” moment.
So here’s what happened on the way to this post. I looked for photos of “people sitting alone in a room.” Know what I found in those “empty” rooms?
-→ People sitting in corners slumped over in depression.
-→ People on their computers or cell phones.
-→ People reading books or engaging in some other kind of activity.
-→ People staring out the window.
-→ People with their heads tipped to their chins.
-→ People with hands over their ears.
-→ People with their faces buried in their hands.
-→ If they were outside, they were more likely to look peaceful, contemplative.
But in the inside shots, NONE of the people could effectively sit quietly in a room alone.
Except for this one:
Please let me know if you can find another non-depressing photo of someone sitting quietly alone in a room so I can share it with anyone who may want to try (or continue) to do so.
photo credit
Dear writers,
Our written stories are supposed to come to a conclusion, to an end, to be Finite.
At least, that’s the goal.
But what if we find ourselves stuck somewhere in the middle of the story and there’s nowhere to go? Or, heaven forbid, what if we’re still struggling with the beginning?
Now you’re wondering. Is this the point where Carolyn starts talking about writer’s block, what to do about it, blah-la-la?
Nope. Not going to.
I could also encourage you. You know, I could tell you to keep going, to not give up, that your ideas are good ones.
But you already know all that.
I think many of our stories are not meant for completion. Maybe those unfinished pages still sitting on a dusty shelf (or buried in the depths of your computer) have already served a purpose.
Perhaps:
Whatever the reason, I have plenty of stories that have never seen their ending.
Does this happen to you?
Do your characters keep you awake a night by flicking your ears trying to discover how they ended up?
I say, let them flick all they want. Let’s just remind them that if it weren’t for us, they wouldn’t have been “born” in the first place.
Sincerely,
C D-W
Carolyn Dennis-Willingham 