she is the wind, tossing
whispers of hair, bending
green canopies, rousing
wild tempests
her voice is a purr,
it is unabashed laughter,
birdsong and brook
bubbles, dissonant bliss
droplets of ocean and
stardust on moonbeams,
a fragrant, delectable
feast for the senses
bloodborne, arterial,
dew infused breath,
flesh covered sinew
imprinted in dust
found in each moment
palpable, fleeting,
a sparkling implosion
for those paying attention.
kat ~ august 2015
If you’re paying attention, the current political climate has become impossibly ludicrous. Politicians bought and sold to the highest bidder, average folks be damned. When I spend too much time watching the news or reading commentary I find myself losing ground in my goal to live mindfully, in gratitude, inhabiting each precious moment. Worry, fear, and downright disbelief at what some charlatans are seemingly getting away with at the expense of our nation…and ultimately our world, causes me to forget to breathe. And of course, it’s miserably downhill from there. Breathing, as we all know is kind of important.
To calm myself, I have come up with a Credo (Latin for “I Believe”) list to remind me that there are certain truths I can depend on. Goals not too lofty or impossible to realize. Simple basics that I know are possible, that I trust are possible if enough of us believe. This little list is something I intend to refer to, (even if just line by line as a situation arises) and repeat like a mantra, to bring me back to the moment, to sanity, to remind me to breathe, and to guide me to gratefulness for the goodness that exists, even if it’s hard to perceive it in the cacophony of the absurdity around me.
In times like these…
I believe in the inherent goodness of humanity.
I believe the paths that guide our moral compasses are many, equally inspiring when they draw us to the light.
I believe that truth will ultimately win over spin and dishonesty.
I believe it is possible to exist with our neighbors in peace, bypassing war through diplomacy.
I believe we can care for our sick, our poor, and our outcasts without taking from another.
I believe that hard working people deserve to be paid a living wage.
I believe justice will prevail when we leave aside our egos and come to the table.
I believe that civil liberty and freedom are our birthrights, not to be dictated by arbitrary belief systems.
I believe we owe it to our Mother, Earth, to care for her waterways, her greenways and her skyways.
I believe in educating our young to carry our legacy of innovation into the future, without burdening their futures in the process.
I believe in honoring those who’ve served us in war, calamity and peace by providing basic care and sustenance for as long as they have need.
I believe we owe gentle end of life care to our aging elders, basic security of shelter, health and food.
I believe in supporting life in all of its stages, not just its embryonic beginnings.
I believe in families, large and small, organic and blended, in various flavors, colors and varieties, where love is key and the only thing that matters.
I believe one day we will look beyond our differences, acknowledging the common thread that binds us together as one race, one family.
And because I believe, no amount of lunacy or madness can dissuade me…
And because I believe, I have hope.
I became free when I
realized that
Heaven
can’t be bought
or sold
or bargained for…
and that it is
real
and all inclusive
and accessible.
Because
Heaven
Is
Now.
~Kat – February 15, 2014
Each moment drops a seed of life
Into the depths, past heart
and sinew to my soul…
from bitter root to fragrant flower
a garden there that bends
and groans and stretches forth
from dark to light and light to dust
with bushels full of green and lush
and memories to hold.
kat ~ updated August 8, 2015
Nature can teach us a thing or two about grace and adaptability. At least my little volunteer tomato plant has much to say on the subject.
I am certain that tomato plant would have been quite happy to thrive, unnoticed among the weeds on the rocky slope in my back yard. But, of course, we wouldn’t have that! Ripping it from its cozy hillside, roots dangling proves the point that humans have a need to control the wild greenness around us. In truth, we humans like to control everything. But audacious nature is determined to thrive no matter what life throws at it. And that gives me hope.
Give a plant a bit of soil (even if it is confined to a paint bucket), water (this, of course is a deal breaker as any fledgling gardener is aware), a position where the sun can warm it, and a little structure so it doesn’t lose its balance when it bears fruit (because that, after all, is what plants are born to do), and even a wilted, transplanted tomato plant can and will thrive!
People are a lot like volunteer tomato plants. At times we may find ourselves uprooted from the original course we had planned, with no semblance of control, roots dangling, exposed. Sometimes all we need is a soft fertile spot to settle, to establish roots, a bit of nurturing, a touch of structure to ground and balance us. Given a few simple things it is possible, inevitable even, that we can thrive and even bear fruit doing whatever it is we were born to do and be.
And I know this because sometimes nature grabs me between the ears to remind me. I need to be reminded. Especially those times when I find that I am not as in charge as I think I am. Yes! There is hope for me no matter the circumstances of my scuttled plans because a limp, uprooted, audacious tomato plant told me so!
