Freedom

Invited to paint with a simple piece of cardboard, 

I found myself closer to the canvas; 

More intimately engaged with the painting, 

And more inclined to follow 

Where the mix of colors led. 

It was as if the critical voices in my head 

Had been silenced, and I was free 

To simply enjoy the process without worrying 

 How it looked, or where it might take me…

Pluses and minuses

Life is full of pluses and minuses; 

Divisions and dividends. 

On which do you find yourself focusing?

Coloring the past

When you look back on the past, 

What do you see? 

Do you focus on the shadows or the light? 

Do you remember what carried you through, 

Or what was happening in the wider world — 

And are those memories colored 

With joy or with pain?

Keep working!

There will be gray days, 

But still there is work to be done, 

Tasks that must be accomplished 

No matter what the weather or your mood. 

Keep rowing, and remember to be grateful: 

Your activity will keep you warm, 

And your aching limbs will distract your mind 

From worrying…

Echoing our hungers

We carry within us this sense 

Of responsibility to the natural world, 

Which, in its silence, speaks to us, 

Echoing our own internal hungers 

For love, for safety, for respect, 

And for connection.

Fearing change

New opportunities await you, 

Yet here you stand: 

Entranced by the possibilities 

But reluctant to take that final step, 

Not opening those doors 

For fear of what you might 

 Have to leave behind…

Light at the end of the tunnel

Always, contained within the darkness, 

There beckons an invitation to the light: 

We simply need the courage 

To step into it and through; 

To lean into the difficult and challenging, 

Rather than walk away.