One Liner Wednesday – Small things/great things

From Linda’s one liner wednesday “All difficult things in the world are sure to arise from a previous state in which they were easy, and all great things from one in which they were small.” ― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“The first half of this quote is becoming all too obvious in the world we live in. But the second half remains a challenge. Think about it. What small things in your life do you now have time to make great?”

Funny you should ask Linda, at my age time is a constant companion. No matter what I have to do, or how much leisure I have, there’s never, ever enough time. So, every day I try to do small things with great love. Perhaps that’s the real lesson to be learned from the current crisis (no I’m not naming it, could be like Betelguese 😉 tomorrow is never promised, don’t wait.

“Saruman believes that it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I have found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.”
~ Galdalf the Grey

I hope you dance ~ Lee Ann Womack

Til next time – practice random acts of kindness and senseless beauty ~JPP

Working on Us – Addiction and Obsession

Week #21 Topic: Addiction and Obsession:

I would first like to say a big, Thank You! to Melanie C., of “Sparks From a Combustible Mind”, for suggesting this week’s topic. This particular topic is one I can relate to on so many levels.

One thing, I couldn’t quite decide to either ask questions pertaining to addiction/obsession or continue with the format that I’ve been using for the last few weeks, which has been writing a narrative of one’s experience.

With much consideration, I did lean towards either a narrative and/or a creative piece with regards to the following topic. I leave that choice up to you the blogger to decide which route you’d like to take.

Beckie, over at Beckiesmentalmess has a fabulous series going on right now “Working on Us” this is week 21, – Addiction and Obsession. Now I’ve been lurking around these posts for weeks/months but I don’t generally join in the discussion. Mostly because my own mental illness is full of triggers and I am very, very careful not to let myself get triggered. Why? Because a trigger episode leads to an obsession episode. That’s nasty downward thought spiral that leads nowhere good.

Spoonie Saturday My Life Tool Box

Chris posted a few days ago something that really got me thinking. OK, OK, a LOT of what Chris posts gets me thinking but this one in particular got me thinking about spoonies and coping and life tools and well, the Life Tool Box. It is such a cool concept, click on over to Chris’ site and give the original a read, you won’t regret it.

To me, a Life Tool Box, is comprised of all those “tools” that we use when life starts to go wonky, and in all honesty, as a Spoonie, life goes wonky pretty darned often. I have lots and lots of life tools.

The Terrible Privilege of Life

photo via pixabay

The world lost a warrior this week. A brave young man who fought the good fight his entire life. Blake was 14 years old. I have no words for his family to help ease the burden of this tragic loss. Blake bravely battled leukemia for most of his life, he was a warrior in every sense of the word. I don’t know why life works this way, I only know that sometimes bad things happen to good people.

Everything is Figureoutable — Cee and Chris

I found this AWESOME video on Cee and Chris site this morning.  Thank you Chris, I totally needed this today.

I am a big fan of Oprah Winfrey’s SuperSoul Conversations podcasts. For those who might not know Oprah, she’s an American talk show host and interviewer, writer, philanthropist, actor and, well, almost anything else you can think of. She’s retired from television now and is doing her SuperSoul podcasts that are “designed to light you […]

via Everything is Figureoutable — Cee and Chris

Darkness Lies Within

Darkness Lies Within

I woke one day to screaming
and realized it was my own
broken dishes, shattered glass
I shivered all alone.
For the darkness had come again
broken free from his cage
wreaking havoc and despair
with violence and rage
Tears fell from my eyes
and landed on the floor
I shook my fist at heaven
and then I cried NO MORE!
I swept the bits and pieces
and patched up every wall
and then I went inside myself
and built a holding cell
Made up of logic and of reason
it would hold the darkness well

Fandango’s Provocative Question # 14 A question of objectivity

Fandango asks another great mind puzzler this week  FPQ # 14

“Do you believe that anyone can really experience anything objectively? Why or why not?”

No. Why? Because we are human. As living, thinking, sentient beings, we are the product of our experiences and perceptions. Have you ever played the gossip game? The one where you all line up and the first person reads a whispered message to the next person, and so on down the line. By the time the same message is repeated by a dozen of so people, the message will have changed significantly.

Found Poetry February day 13

Today’s bit of found poetry is in the black-out form and derived from an information sign at an exhibit of Japanese Farm Houses in Osaka, Japan

Graves and tombs on the mountain
stone statues standing over
memorial to console dead souls
the earth, the water, the fire
the wind, the sky, the gem
symbol of the universe

When I see old buildings, art works, poetry or people I’m always amazed at the gratitude I feel to be seeing these things that have stood the test of time. I remember that tomorrow is never guaranteed. Today is all we have. Seldom have I felt this more acutely than today. Today a young friend is waging his final battle. He has fought Leukemia for over 12 years and is slipping fast. He is 14 years old. So look around you today, forgive the people you need to forgive, love the people you need to love and remember that tomorrow is never guaranteed.

Til next time ~Peace ~JPP

The Fires of Life

For Kira’s incredibly inspiring Sunday Scribble — do come join in on the magic carpet of your imagination.

The Fires of Life

Flames rise higher in the night
Waves of fire in pure delight
fan the flames and feed the fire
send it scorching, higher, higher

Spoonie Saturday

As a spoonie, there are days, you know those days. Those days when all you can do is drag yourself out of bed, every joint and muscle complaining all along the way. Slug down a couple of Aleve and soldier on. Limping your way into the kitchen. Where all of a sudden your sweet partner (Superhubs here) hands you a cup of beautifully brewed espresso, americano to be specific. The aroma wafts up to your nose and then connects to your brain and you feel … better. Not great, but maybe not quite dead yet. Then he smiles and says “coffee makes everything better.” Yeah, it does. Powers above, grant me coffee to change the things I can and music for the things I can’t. Grab my phone, queue up the “pump me up” play list, do some yoga, sipping the elixir of the gods, aka coffee, between poses. Better, much, much better.

I know that sometimes it’s not enough, the disease gets the better of us in spite of our best efforts. But, for me at least, a lot of the time, a couple Aleve, a good cup of coffee (or 3), some great music, a little movement and a loving gesture can make all the difference. Have a happy Saturday.

Til next time ~Peace ~JPP