Delirious Happiness

It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be
or not to be, that is the question
everything
is coming up roses
from the south
winds are blowing
in the wind
is common 'round these parts
and pieces
of the life I once knew
shoes need to be broken in
the jungle
cat
nip
and tuck
everlasting
gobstoppers are sweet
tea
and crumpets
are best with clotted cream
cycle
repair
my broken glasses
filled with soda
springs
hold up the trampoline
injury
protection
from infection
can be serious if you start to get delirious
happiness may ensue

Battle Plan

You need to have a battle plan

the wedding

bells are ringing

in my ears

were made for listening

is a rare and precious skill

and talent aren't enough

already

gone

with the wind

in the willows

by the river

walk

softly

speak

my name

game

theory

and practice

makes better

choices

make the man

is nothing without woman

power

station

management

must approve each decision

precision reduces friction

brakes

wear out quickly

run to the doctor

doctor, please please help me

myself and I

believe in doing good

grief

is rarely brief

case

in point

the way

down upon the Swanee River

Dance

fights are cool

as a cucumber

salad

Abuse

Toxic.

Broken.

Destructive.

Yet you keep going back.

It's possible to be addicted

to something that isn't a substance.

People, habits, thinking patterns.

You call it loyalty,

but really it's dysfunction.

Knowing you need to leave

but not knowing how.

Walking away when you should be running.

Losing yourself,

Losing your mind,

Losing all concept of free will.

Forgetting

the life you used to know.

Believing

you deserve nothing better.

Shattered sense of self,

submitting to keep the peace,

saying someday he'll change

maybe this is the last time he'll hit me

He's a good man

Just carrying a heavy load

He used to be kind

He'll be kind again.

Lies.

Venom.

Self-deception.

There is nothing that justifies abuse,

and the pattern begun won't end.

Leave.

Now.

Call whatever friends you have left

And get as far away from him as you can.

There is fear in leaving

But the greater danger is staying.

Remember the joy you used to feel?

You are not undeserving

in spite of what he says,

in spite of how he treats you.

You've done things you regret

We all have

But you don't deserve this hell.

And no one can free you

Until you decide to free yourself

Escaping both the situation

And the prison of the mind

You helped him build

Piece by miserable piece.

You were made for more than this.

You are loved more deeply than you know.

A new world awaits.

Step into the light.

Collected Wisdom

Here is some of the wisdom I've collected during my nearly 38 years on this planet:

When the size of our faith exceeds the size of our problems, happiness is the inevitable consequence.

Kindness is the oil that keeps the delicate machinery of human society from seizing up.

Every human life is inherently valuable, and everyone’s story deserves to be told.

I can’t make a difference for everyone, but I can make a difference for someone, and I can do it today.

Change for the better is not only possible, it’s happening right now. Someone somewhere just got an idea that will make the world a better place, and they’re about take their first courageous steps.

No darkness is so complete that a single ray of sunshine cannot dispel it.

Respect is the beginning of understanding, understanding the beginning of love.

Judgment is the disease and compassion is the cure.

There is beauty and inspiration everywhere, for those who choose to see it.

Life is sacred.

It is possible to find joy in the midst of suffering.

Outer peace begins with inner peace.

Service is a two-way street. We must be willing to both accept and offer it freely.

Empathy heals wounds.

Human connection saves lives.

Human love can transform the world.

Words are powerful. Use them to help, not hurt.

The words “if only” are two of the most painful words in the English language.

There is no cause, belief, organization, or idea so important that it can justify the intentional malicious treatment of innocent people.

It is possible to find inner peace in the midst of outer chaos.

In the long run, we always reap what we sow.

It is far better to be good than to look good.

Much of the dissatisfaction we experience in life is the result of misalignment between values and actions.

People can change, and they do it all the time. Real, lasting change is difficult, but it’s worth the effort.

Everything we need to be happy is already inside us.

We cannot completely suppress or be utterly ruled by our emotions. There must be a balance between instinct and reason.

Forgiveness is essential to happiness.

Few gifts are more precious than the gift of a loyal friend.

Fear, worry and anxiety destroy peace. Courage and faith restore it.

Intense grief is usually temporary, but it always leaves scars. We are never the same at the end of that journey as we are at the start.

The better we become at dealing with the inevitable uncertainty and discomfort in life, the happier we will be.

Expectations are a source of pain in life, especially expectations of entitlement. Meeting life on its own terms instead of wishing it could be different diminishes the need for destructive escapes.

No one sees the world as it actually it is. All we experience and all we think and feel is filtered through our perceptions.

God is real. Every time someone loves and serves another person, God is there. He is there in our joy and He is there in our pain. Trust Him.

Cinderella

There's no place like home

is where the heart is

this love

is a many splendored thing

one and thing two

by two, me and you

are the air that I breathe

into a paper bag

ladies in the park

close to the curb

the habit of rage

against the machine

politics are detrimental to patriotism

is always welcome

to the jungle

gyms are endless fun

times were had by all

at once we heard a scream

into your pillow

fight

for your right to bear arms

race

to the finish

what you start

your engines

need oil

lamps light up the night

terror at midnight

is when Cinderella has to leave the ball

and chain

letter

Simple gifts

Sometimes I look at my reflection in the mirror,

mirror on the wall, life can be unfair to all

for one and one for all, that's the way we'll make it through

the night, through the storms

are brewing in the distance

is relative, relatives are distant

bells ringing quietly in the dark

clothing is my preferred fashion

models are trendsetters

should be wise with the power they wield

a sword in defense of the truth

will set you free

as a bird

on a wire

some money to the bank

on it

hurts when you talk that way

to go

away, rain

in Spain falls on the plain

and simple

gifts

Cosmic Dance

Chains bind us in cosmic dances

through circumstances

can be improved by learning to let life lead

the way through the interplay between choices and chances

are we dream of a life

is better when our want is no slave to our need

to defeat the habit of second guessing

is detrimental to the blessing of forgetting

our expectations of explanations that are clear

to the top of the mountains that we'll climb

up when we're freed from prisons of the mind

over matter is the way to win the fight

to defeat darkness with light

up the path we must follow

our hearts as they beat in time

to stop looking for the reason

for rhythm is rhyme