Take Everything

 

(Using a different method to write this blog 

Things may look different temporarily.)

Some of these may be repeats.

I am betting that if I can’t remember them, others may not either.

Even so, this one seems worth a repeat as the message is important. 

I’m thinking it’s good to recognize opposites live within us,

and, it’s worthwhile for them to be aware of each other.

It’s not easy to accept the darker side of our personality,

But I like the idea of putting it "in service to the good."

KAStilwell

accidental gods

 

https://accidentalgods.life/

To remember, and continue to remember

we have the capacity to imagine 

the world we long for

into existence.

To remember there are 

millions upon millions of us...

swarming, shoaling, gathering...

linking together in an 

invisible but mighty murmuration.

I'm thinking the invisible river of goodness

is flooding the landscape 

with silent transformation.

We have the power to save our home.

We have the power to make true justice,

true equality and mutual respect a reality.

Imagine! Bring it to life.

kastilwell

Biology

This is one where the image

says it as well or better than the words.

If only we humans could listen

to the plants and animals.

We would learn so much

more than we can imagine.

As much good as words have done,

they have also done much harm

in conveying the idea (thoughts)

that we are better and "have dominion over".

That is religion in its most primitive state.

Savage even.

We are so much better than that this.

kastilwell

 

Citizen of Dark Times

www.kimstaffordpoet.com

 

"When you hit rock bottom, dig farther down.

Grief is the seed of singing, shame the seed of song.

Keep seeing what you are not saying."

Holy wow to these lines. 

"Shame the seed of song?"

I have never thought of it in that way.

Shame and grief...the two chambers of agony

many of us seek to avoid at any cost.

Perhaps I should change that to "I" seek to avoid.

Then...

"the songbirds only weapon is a song."

I've always told myself that I don't need to 

go looking for sorrow and pain

in the martyrdom style of my ancestors.

They will always find me.

I do confess to skirting around them.

To armoring up so as not to feel

even the lesser spectrums of loss and humiliation

happening more and more frequently

in this journey toward elderhood.

Now telling myself it's a good idea

to loosen the armor just a fraction

because when you can't feel the loss

you're anesthetized to joy.

You're a songbird without a song.

So in looking for the key

 to unlock the armor.

I hope to find myself humming.

kastilwell

Admit Uncertainty--Believe In Yourself

https://tarawestover.com

 

"The conviction to live in your own mind

and not in someone else's."

Aren't we all entitled to this?

Being programmed, even by well meaning parents, and churches

can be a detriment to living in your own mind.

Being taught to think for yourself 

is the greatest gift you can give and receive.

Critical thinking skills are priceless.

kastilwell

I Can

 http://eccrossman.com/

 

I have to share this as a balance to "I Can't"

from last week.

It's a more playful poem than the other.

"I'll turn up the volume with all I fail to say."

   Provokes a connection to Rebecca Solnit's,

"The Mother of All Questions".

Her essay on silence is bone chilling.

And

"I'll answer life's despair by rising to the call",

inspires me to focus on resilience and 

belief in the river of goodness.

kastilwell

Finding Joy?

https://www.dawnamarkova.com/

 

"The preciousness of small things."

I'm thinking this is where I will focus my thoughts.

A "just right" cup of coffee,

a good night's sleep,

a warm home on a frigid morning,

a sister's email,

a walk with a friend.

The last blooms of summer

rescued from the frost.

How swiftly they add up and

softly close the door on troubles.

What if I introduce the troubles,

to the precious small things?

We all might learn something?

kastilwell

Still, Small Voice

https://www.dawnamarkova.com/

 

This is the third morning in a row I've rejected

the quotes I previously selected.

I landed on this one.

I love "when silence becomes a loom".

I've always been fascinated by looms.

I also love the idea of "reweaving the pattern".

There are patterns in today's world

that are ripe for reweaving.

Perhaps the only way is to reweave

the patterns within. . .

not to turn away or ignore

rather being open to a new way

of orchestrating my response.

kastilwell

I Can't

http://eccrossman.com/

I had something written about this poem.

Which I think is exquisite.

Now I don't know what to say.

I offer it to you with my silence.

kastilwell

Four Unanswered Questions

https://www.annebaring.com/

I've passed over three other quotes for today

and landed on this one.

I'm thinking the only person qualified

to answer these, is yourself for yourself.

All the rest is merely someone else's opinion.  

And a simple "I don't know" is perfectly acceptable.

kastilwell

In the Dust of Which We're Made

https://www.themarginalian.org/2016/09/08/walter-lippmann-amelia-earhart/

 Exact Quote: And what they prove to themselves and to others is that man is no mere creature of his habits, no mere automaton in his routine, no mere cog in the collective machine, but that in the dust of which he is made there is also fire, lighted now and then by great winds from the sky.

This quote set my heart strings in motion.

Especially when I "fixed" the language to be more inclusive.

As someone fondly attached to my habits and routines,

it shifts things around a bit.

Formerly closed doors crack open.

Dormant curiosities stir.

Who knows what surprises could crop up?

I'm entranced with the idea of turning to dust/soil one day;

for today however, I'm focusing on the fire.

kastilwell

PS: Yet another version: And what WE prove to OURselves and to others is that WE ARE no mere creature of OUR habits, no mere automaton in OUR routine, no mere cog in the collective machine, but that in the dust of which WE ARE made there is also fire, lighted now and then by great winds from the sky.

PSS:  He's referring to Amelia Earhart.

Thanks to Maria Popova in The Marginalian

Everything Contributes to its Harmony

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inayat_Khan

I'm thinking of the sound

of an Eastern Screech Owl

we listened to last night

on our porch. 

It was a mesmerizing sound.

May the sounds I make

join nature's music and

contribute to Earth's harmony.

kastilwell

 

How to Alchemize

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15371825.Sarah_Durham_Wilson

I hesitated to share this beautiful thought

when I considered those I find

almost impossible to treat

as if they are sacred.

Yet, I know this is the very 

heart of the matter.

It's also the heat of the matter.

I will approach gently,

here and now

 with myself.

By starting close in,

the ripples will begin.

and reverberate outward.

It takes consistent practice

and heartfelt focus

and dedicated intention.

I believe in the power

of fractals...small things

done over and over

increase in mass and potency.

I hold unto this thought

like a lifeline 

 when despair

hovers near.

Thank you for being on 

the other end.

kastilwell

 

i will not die

https://www.dawnamarkova.com/

 

Every word of this is

like a gentle hand strumming strings inside.

"to allow my living to open me"

makes me feel pressure in my eyes

where I think my tear ducts reside.

"to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise"

causes a catch in my breath,

and a rise in my shoulders envisioning wings.

What torch will I carry?

What promise do I make to myself or others?

and

"I choose to risk my significance so that

which came to me as a seed

goes to the rest as blossom. . ."

Consider the seeds buried within.

Give what they need to flourish.

Give thought to blossomings

pass them along wherever possible.

kastilwell

Holy Humanness?

http://www.danushalameris.com/

While I take her point and her words are magnificent, 

could it be because this "realm of rock and stream and dust"

can be every bit as "spiritual" as the "heights of spirit"?

As for me, being "pulled down and wallowing in the mud

in our own holy humanness" can be every bit as "divine".

There is great allure in the thought there is a place

to "ascend" to where everything is as we'd like it to be.

That one day we will reach this nirvana 

and all will be ecstatically wonderful.

Maybe it will be but until then,

I feel as though my time is better spent

concentrating on what is holy

right here and now.

Perhaps, for now, it is enough?

kastilwell

A Portal

http://www.danushalameris.com/

In other words, open the door,

walk through the portal,

take a chance!

kastilwell

 

The Mind Always Wants

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/10693723-but-the-mind-always-wants-more-than-it-has-one

"as if joy weren't strewn all around"

I'm thinking what a wonderful

spot to return to when my mind

gets filled with the "stuff" of the day.

Instead of looking to tidy up the house,

take a moment to enjoy the joy

strewn across the floor?  

When dinner is done,

rather than cleaning up the dirty dishes, 

to notice the delight 

of preparing and tasting good food,

alone or with loved ones?

Notice the joy.

kastilwell

Creativity Is...

 There you go!

Be intelligent.

Have Fun.

Create!

kastilwell

Flashpoints of Time

https://www.janmccarthy.com/

"Flashpoints of time. . .slipping away"

is the story of our lives, isn't it?

Walking outside yesterday

in the predawn light

and listening to owls calling

across the field to each other 

was one of these for me.

My attempts to "capture" their sound was unsuccessful

as my ears could hear them clearly

but my app could not.

I think back to recent "flashpoints"

and realize how unexpectedly they come

and just as quickly vanish into the mists of memory.

Does sharing this with you make this art? 

I've not thought of it like that before now.

kastilwell

October

https://www.victoriaerickson.com/

I'm thinking about how the weather

affects moods and what a distinct pleasure

these early October days have been here,

especially after bracing for potential harm from Ian.

I'm thinking about "a harvest of sensation 

that both roots and uplifts."

I'm thinking about how trees

have an "antifreeze" protein

that protects cells from freezing.

The wonder of it! 

All that's going on within and beneath

the bark of those silent, stately creations.

What a marvel.

I'm also thinking about those humans who

are suffering or dead due to the violent weather

with reverence and sorrow.

May they find some solace and comfort

amidst the devastation.

kastilwell