POETRY
POETRY
Contemplating on this journey we call life
Contemplating on this journey
we call life
on permission
05/2026
presence that grants permission is power a presence that says i am unapologetically unabashedly wholeheartedly me forms a luminous space a quiet unassuming call inviting you to be you this is the power of permission it disarms your defenses and encourages you to step forward it resonates with the spacious freedom of non-judgment giving you room to dance to cry to be may we all risk being we and witness how we set each other free
on permission
05/2026
presence that grants permission is power a presence that says i am unapologetically unabashedly wholeheartedly me forms a luminous space a quiet unassuming call inviting you to be you this is the power of permission it disarms your defenses and encourages you to step forward it resonates with the spacious freedom of non-judgment giving you room to dance to cry to be may we all risk being we and witness how we set each other free
on permission
05/2026
presence that grants permission is power a presence that says i am unapologetically unabashedly wholeheartedly me forms a luminous space a quiet unassuming call inviting you to be you this is the power of permission it disarms your defenses and encourages you to step forward it resonates with the spacious freedom of non-judgment giving you room to dance to cry to be may we all risk being we and witness how we set each other free
on perfectionism
03/2026
perfectionism is postponing living to an amorphous tomorrow that retreats just as i approach “i’ll be ready when…” “almost.” “just one more…” these well-intended murmurs rise from the heaviness of never enoughness and hide me from the tangled joy of living meanwhile life does not pause while i sand down my edges or iron every last crease its flow continues generously it is happening now all around so as i stand on the riverbank i can keep waiting and waiting for total stillness for total readiness or i can listen for the river’s call: enter perfectly unprepared to live real life at last
on perfectionism
03/2026
perfectionism is postponing living to an amorphous tomorrow that retreats just as i approach “i’ll be ready when…” “almost.” “just one more…” these well-intended murmurs rise from the heaviness of never enoughness and hide me from the tangled joy of living meanwhile life does not pause while i sand down my edges or iron every last crease its flow continues generously it is happening now all around so as i stand on the riverbank i can keep waiting and waiting for total stillness for total readiness or i can listen for the river’s call: enter perfectly unprepared to live real life at last
on perfectionism
03/2026
perfectionism is postponing living to an amorphous tomorrow that retreats just as i approach “i’ll be ready when…” “almost.” “just one more…” these well-intended murmurs rise from the heaviness of never enoughness and hide me from the tangled joy of living meanwhile life does not pause while i sand down my edges or iron every last crease its flow continues generously it is happening now all around so as i stand on the riverbank i can keep waiting and waiting for total stillness for total readiness or i can listen for the river’s call: enter perfectly unprepared to live real life at last
on agency
11/2025
in any situation the Universe bestows upon us whether we stub our toe or lose a loved one to the sea there is a window that opens up between stimulus and response as Frankl puts it a pause between what happened and how we want to be it is silent and subtle this space hard to perceive through the weight of pain and the insistence of old ways but with will and practice we can learn to hold still in our hard moments and choose choose who we want to be and very soon see how this window invites us to embrace our boundless agency
on agency
11/2025
in any situation the Universe bestows upon us whether we stub our toe or lose a loved one to the sea there is a window that opens up between stimulus and response as Frankl puts it a pause between what happened and how we want to be it is silent and subtle this space hard to perceive through the weight of pain and the insistence of old ways but with will and practice we can learn to hold still in our hard moments and choose choose who we want to be and very soon see how this window invites us to embrace our boundless agency
on agency
11/2025
in any situation the Universe bestows upon us whether we stub our toe or lose a loved one to the sea there is a window that opens up between stimulus and response as Frankl puts it a pause between what happened and how we want to be it is silent and subtle this space hard to perceive through the weight of pain and the insistence of old ways but with will and practice we can learn to hold still in our hard moments and choose choose who we want to be and very soon see how this window invites us to embrace our boundless agency
on forgiveness
11/2025
why can the thought of "forgiveness" feel like a sharp stab in the chest a refusal to speak the truth and honor earned tears perhaps because we so easily misunderstand forgiving as forgetting or excusing when true forgiveness should never deny the dignity of our pain the plea to “just forgive" can appear as a desperate sweeping under the rug a moving on without moral consequence when true forgiveness should never blind justice nor accountability yet forgiveness is more about us than about them it is the continuous courageous act of unmooring ourselves casting off our anchor from our shore of past sorrow sailing into a new horizon entirely and sublimely our own beyond another’s wrongdoing into a sea of self-constructed peace forgiving is the majestic practice of reclaiming our agency and rebuilding our sovereignty the ultimate expression of our freedom the moment the cage door opens and we realize we held the key all along
on forgiveness
11/2025
why can the thought of "forgiveness" feel like a sharp stab in the chest a refusal to speak the truth and honor earned tears perhaps because we so easily misunderstand forgiving as forgetting or excusing when true forgiveness should never deny the dignity of our pain the plea to “just forgive" can appear as a desperate sweeping under the rug a moving on without moral consequence when true forgiveness should never blind justice nor accountability yet forgiveness is more about us than about them it is the continuous courageous act of unmooring ourselves casting off our anchor from our shore of past sorrow sailing into a new horizon entirely and sublimely our own beyond another’s wrongdoing into a sea of self-constructed peace forgiving is the majestic practice of reclaiming our agency and rebuilding our sovereignty the ultimate expression of our freedom the moment the cage door opens and we realize we held the key all along
on forgiveness
11/2025
why can the thought of "forgiveness" feel like a sharp stab in the chest a refusal to speak the truth and honor earned tears perhaps because we so easily misunderstand forgiving as forgetting or excusing when true forgiveness should never deny the dignity of our pain the plea to “just forgive" can appear as a desperate sweeping under the rug a moving on without moral consequence when true forgiveness should never blind justice nor accountability yet forgiveness is more about us than about them it is the continuous courageous act of unmooring ourselves casting off our anchor from our shore of past sorrow sailing into a new horizon entirely and sublimely our own beyond another’s wrongdoing into a sea of self-constructed peace forgiving is the majestic practice of reclaiming our agency and rebuilding our sovereignty the ultimate expression of our freedom the moment the cage door opens and we realize we held the key all along
on solitude
10/2025
Blaise Pascal once said all of humanity’s troubles stem from our inability to sit quietly in a room alone indeed how tirelessly we populate our minds and our space with motion going to such lengths to flee the stillness and fill the quiet void of being alone as if we somehow sense that stopping might awaken something the hidden phantoms of our past waiting in the shadows beneath our noise yet solitude calls us to resist these urges and listen deeply to its inviting silence solitude is the creator of clarity a vast blue sky revealed when all the clouds have passed a clear horizon opening for our souls to breathe and our imaginations to expand solitude is our ultimate mirror offering unexpected gifts of self-discovery that teach us to fully accept our reflections in the peace of solitude we might at last love and live profoundly from the soil of wholeness not hunger for we no longer seek escape through another instead we learn to meet each other in our solitude and dance together in it
on solitude
10/2025
Blaise Pascal once said all of humanity’s troubles stem from our inability to sit quietly in a room alone indeed how tirelessly we populate our minds and our space with motion going to such lengths to flee the stillness and fill the quiet void of being alone as if we somehow sense that stopping might awaken something the hidden phantoms of our past waiting in the shadows beneath our noise yet solitude calls us to resist these urges and listen deeply to its inviting silence solitude is the creator of clarity a vast blue sky revealed when all the clouds have passed a clear horizon opening for our souls to breathe and our imaginations to expand solitude is our ultimate mirror offering unexpected gifts of self-discovery that teach us to fully accept our reflections in the peace of solitude we might at last love and live profoundly from the soil of wholeness not hunger for we no longer seek escape through another instead we learn to meet each other in our solitude and dance together in it
on solitude
10/2025
Blaise Pascal once said all of humanity’s troubles stem from our inability to sit quietly in a room alone indeed how tirelessly we populate our minds and our space with motion going to such lengths to flee the stillness and fill the quiet void of being alone as if we somehow sense that stopping might awaken something the hidden phantoms of our past waiting in the shadows beneath our noise yet solitude calls us to resist these urges and listen deeply to its inviting silence solitude is the creator of clarity a vast blue sky revealed when all the clouds have passed a clear horizon opening for our souls to breathe and our imaginations to expand solitude is our ultimate mirror offering unexpected gifts of self-discovery that teach us to fully accept our reflections in the peace of solitude we might at last love and live profoundly from the soil of wholeness not hunger for we no longer seek escape through another instead we learn to meet each other in our solitude and dance together in it
on patience
10/2025
patience is humble acceptance the deep knowing that effort alone cannot realize our goals it is the space between our doing and divine doing the loosening of a clenched mind that releases its grip on time turning toward a more fluid yet fully engaged rhythm of being patience is not passivity just as the farmer who does not know when her seeds will rise still bends to the soil planting watering tending so too must we act even with the chaos all around action rooted in trust a dance between movement and stillness patience lives here as a prayer in the wisdom of our limits in the surrender to the sacred unfolding beyond us
on patience
10/2025
patience is humble acceptance the deep knowing that effort alone cannot realize our goals it is the space between our doing and divine doing the loosening of a clenched mind that releases its grip on time turning toward a more fluid yet fully engaged rhythm of being patience is not passivity just as the farmer who does not know when her seeds will rise still bends to the soil planting watering tending so too must we act even with the chaos all around action rooted in trust a dance between movement and stillness patience lives here as a prayer in the wisdom of our limits in the surrender to the sacred unfolding beyond us
on patience
10/2025
patience is humble acceptance the deep knowing that effort alone cannot realize our goals it is the space between our doing and divine doing the loosening of a clenched mind that releases its grip on time turning toward a more fluid yet fully engaged rhythm of being patience is not passivity just as the farmer who does not know when her seeds will rise still bends to the soil planting watering tending so too must we act even with the chaos all around action rooted in trust a dance between movement and stillness patience lives here as a prayer in the wisdom of our limits in the surrender to the sacred unfolding beyond us
on pain
10/2025
pain is the inevitable ache of being human the silent weight in our hearts that comes and goes with life’s flows it is the universal invisible fabric binding us all together beneath the veil of our pretenses yet it is also a call a stripping away of illusion life pulling us to the mirror to see what we’ve hidden and confront what we’ve long avoided pain is the birth of wisdom the entrance of insight it is absence revealing the meaning of presence the awakening to the mystery beyond igniting awe for what we once ignored the choice is ours run and resist or let pain exist listen to its pulse our pulse inviting us to feel and see the sacred gift of being alive
on pain
10/2025
pain is the inevitable ache of being human the silent weight in our hearts that comes and goes with life’s flows it is the universal invisible fabric binding us all together beneath the veil of our pretenses yet it is also a call a stripping away of illusion life pulling us to the mirror to see what we’ve hidden and confront what we’ve long avoided pain is the birth of wisdom the entrance of insight it is absence revealing the meaning of presence the awakening to the mystery beyond igniting awe for what we once ignored the choice is ours run and resist or let pain exist listen to its pulse our pulse inviting us to feel and see the sacred gift of being alive
on pain
10/2025
pain is the inevitable ache of being human the silent weight in our hearts that comes and goes with life’s flows it is the universal invisible fabric binding us all together beneath the veil of our pretenses yet it is also a call a stripping away of illusion life pulling us to the mirror to see what we’ve hidden and confront what we’ve long avoided pain is the birth of wisdom the entrance of insight it is absence revealing the meaning of presence the awakening to the mystery beyond igniting awe for what we once ignored the choice is ours run and resist or let pain exist listen to its pulse our pulse inviting us to feel and see the sacred gift of being alive
on behavior
08/2025
how often do we lay upon others what we ourselves most fear we wound we judge we turn away only transmitting what we have not yet transformed and how often do we offer to others what we ourselves so desperately seek we praise we please we provide quietly hoping that what we send outward might one day return this is the hidden irony of our days our gestures so often move not from the ground of freedom but from the hidden pull of our deepest fears and desires
on behavior
08/2025
how often do we lay upon others what we ourselves most fear we wound we judge we turn away only transmitting what we have not yet transformed and how often do we offer to others what we ourselves so desperately seek we praise we please we provide quietly hoping that what we send outward might one day return this is the hidden irony of our days our gestures so often move not from the ground of freedom but from the hidden pull of our deepest fears and desires
on behavior
08/2025
how often do we lay upon others what we ourselves most fear we wound we judge we turn away only transmitting what we have not yet transformed and how often do we offer to others what we ourselves so desperately seek we praise we please we provide quietly hoping that what we send outward might one day return this is the hidden irony of our days our gestures so often move not from the ground of freedom but from the hidden pull of our deepest fears and desires
on plans
08/2025
how the Heavens must smile at my polished plans that crumble to dust without fail and fly off into the winds like dandelion seeds for the Universe continues to unveil other paths waiting for me over the horizon since the beginning these moments arrive as messengers gentle reminders of how fiercely my mind clings to its small throne that fragile illusion of control standing firm or rather frail like a flimsy gate in the way of other plans divine plans hidden in the deep end of the cosmic current winding into the wide unfolding unknown
on plans
08/2025
how the Heavens must smile at my polished plans that crumble to dust without fail and fly off into the winds like dandelion seeds for the Universe continues to unveil other paths waiting for me over the horizon since the beginning these moments arrive as messengers gentle reminders of how fiercely my mind clings to its small throne that fragile illusion of control standing firm or rather frail like a flimsy gate in the way of other plans divine plans hidden in the deep end of the cosmic current winding into the wide unfolding unknown
on plans
08/2025
how the Heavens must smile at my polished plans that crumble to dust without fail and fly off into the winds like dandelion seeds for the Universe continues to unveil other paths waiting for me over the horizon since the beginning these moments arrive as messengers gentle reminders of how fiercely my mind clings to its small throne that fragile illusion of control standing firm or rather frail like a flimsy gate in the way of other plans divine plans hidden in the deep end of the cosmic current winding into the wide unfolding unknown
on miracles
07/2025
i am a miracle you are a miracle life itself a miracle woven into everything around us from the light at dusk falling softly over your arms as the cool air eases into stillness to the fresh espresso strong and bitter landing on your tongue signaling morning has begun from the birds arcing overhead their united wings moving quietly through the evening sky to the orchid on your windowsill still alive still reaching holding on with small green leaves from the steady line of ants moving across the kitchen counter precise one after another fulfilling their duties to the cold water splashing over your skin on a scorching day for a moment making everything stop a taste of relief from the ripe mango sticky and sweet bringing back summer afternoons from childhood to the gentle chime of spoons stirring afternoon tea a moment to savor a moment to slow down from the dog resting its head on your knee needing nothing but to stay near to the soft weight of a blanket settling on your shoulders at night giving you permission to finally rest all around us everywhere we look signs invitations the world whispering its ordinary wonders reminding us again and again life is a miracle
on miracles
07/2025
i am a miracle you are a miracle life itself a miracle woven into everything around us from the light at dusk falling softly over your arms as the cool air eases into stillness to the fresh espresso strong and bitter landing on your tongue signaling morning has begun from the birds arcing overhead their united wings moving quietly through the evening sky to the orchid on your windowsill still alive still reaching holding on with small green leaves from the steady line of ants moving across the kitchen counter precise one after another fulfilling their duties to the cold water splashing over your skin on a scorching day for a moment making everything stop a taste of relief from the ripe mango sticky and sweet bringing back summer afternoons from childhood to the gentle chime of spoons stirring afternoon tea a moment to savor a moment to slow down from the dog resting its head on your knee needing nothing but to stay near to the soft weight of a blanket settling on your shoulders at night giving you permission to finally rest all around us everywhere we look signs invitations the world whispering its ordinary wonders reminding us again and again life is a miracle
on miracles
07/2025
i am a miracle you are a miracle life itself a miracle woven into everything around us from the light at dusk falling softly over your arms as the cool air eases into stillness to the fresh espresso strong and bitter landing on your tongue signaling morning has begun from the birds arcing overhead their united wings moving quietly through the evening sky to the orchid on your windowsill still alive still reaching holding on with small green leaves from the steady line of ants moving across the kitchen counter precise one after another fulfilling their duties to the cold water splashing over your skin on a scorching day for a moment making everything stop a taste of relief from the ripe mango sticky and sweet bringing back summer afternoons from childhood to the gentle chime of spoons stirring afternoon tea a moment to savor a moment to slow down from the dog resting its head on your knee needing nothing but to stay near to the soft weight of a blanket settling on your shoulders at night giving you permission to finally rest all around us everywhere we look signs invitations the world whispering its ordinary wonders reminding us again and again life is a miracle
on seasons
07/2025
it is essential to know which season you are in and to welcome it fully live it wholly even when it aches to do so even when your mind has other plans even when every instinct says resist for just as spring always waits around the corner of winter your turning will come in due time practice recognizing whether it is your season of hibernation or harvest of gathering or letting go and embrace it while it lasts for soon you may find yourself pining for what has passed just as the land must lie fallow to renew its hidden richness so too must you allow yourself to rest to empty to trust the natural rhythm shaping your unfolding there will be seasons to weep seasons to rejoice and over time you may come to see that each is as necessary each as precious each bearing its own quiet grace after all would you know the meaning of light if night never fell upon your day
on seasons
07/2025
it is essential to know which season you are in and to welcome it fully live it wholly even when it aches to do so even when your mind has other plans even when every instinct says resist for just as spring always waits around the corner of winter your turning will come in due time practice recognizing whether it is your season of hibernation or harvest of gathering or letting go and embrace it while it lasts for soon you may find yourself pining for what has passed just as the land must lie fallow to renew its hidden richness so too must you allow yourself to rest to empty to trust the natural rhythm shaping your unfolding there will be seasons to weep seasons to rejoice and over time you may come to see that each is as necessary each as precious each bearing its own quiet grace after all would you know the meaning of light if night never fell upon your day
on seasons
07/2025
it is essential to know which season you are in and to welcome it fully live it wholly even when it aches to do so even when your mind has other plans even when every instinct says resist for just as spring always waits around the corner of winter your turning will come in due time practice recognizing whether it is your season of hibernation or harvest of gathering or letting go and embrace it while it lasts for soon you may find yourself pining for what has passed just as the land must lie fallow to renew its hidden richness so too must you allow yourself to rest to empty to trust the natural rhythm shaping your unfolding there will be seasons to weep seasons to rejoice and over time you may come to see that each is as necessary each as precious each bearing its own quiet grace after all would you know the meaning of light if night never fell upon your day
on grief
07/2025
it is so easy to think and feel that grief is a trouble to be solved an illness to cure a shadow to banish but perhaps grief is simply a quiet guest arriving unbidden seeking only a place to rest at the hearth of my life what if i let it take its place not hurried not hushed for it may know something i do not yet of the shape i am becoming what if i make a wide space for its silence pull up a chair at my table for its ache and let it warm itself by my fire what if i carry it gently as one would a fragile bowl aware that it too holds water for what must grow what if i let it soften my edges and carve new hollows where joys and sorrows can share the same room and see themselves in each other perhaps in this way grief will make its home in me and if my heart remains open show me the way to new love sprouting in the deeper ground of my being
on grief
07/2025
it is so easy to think and feel that grief is a trouble to be solved an illness to cure a shadow to banish but perhaps grief is simply a quiet guest arriving unbidden seeking only a place to rest at the hearth of my life what if i let it take its place not hurried not hushed for it may know something i do not yet of the shape i am becoming what if i make a wide space for its silence pull up a chair at my table for its ache and let it warm itself by my fire what if i carry it gently as one would a fragile bowl aware that it too holds water for what must grow what if i let it soften my edges and carve new hollows where joys and sorrows can share the same room and see themselves in each other perhaps in this way grief will make its home in me and if my heart remains open show me the way to new love sprouting in the deeper ground of my being
on grief
07/2025
it is so easy to think and feel that grief is a trouble to be solved an illness to cure a shadow to banish but perhaps grief is simply a quiet guest arriving unbidden seeking only a place to rest at the hearth of my life what if i let it take its place not hurried not hushed for it may know something i do not yet of the shape i am becoming what if i make a wide space for its silence pull up a chair at my table for its ache and let it warm itself by my fire what if i carry it gently as one would a fragile bowl aware that it too holds water for what must grow what if i let it soften my edges and carve new hollows where joys and sorrows can share the same room and see themselves in each other perhaps in this way grief will make its home in me and if my heart remains open show me the way to new love sprouting in the deeper ground of my being
on body
06/2025
i’m starting to understand what they mean when they say your body keeps the score in the layers below my mind’s control my body bears my story with imprints of my past my sins and all i’ve seen stitched upon my skin viscerally i can feel where i’ve been still within my present now sometimes when i tune in to my body’s tension i can hear whispers of my soul pulsating softly simply asking for release
on body
06/2025
i’m starting to understand what they mean when they say your body keeps the score in the layers below my mind’s control my body bears my story with imprints of my past my sins and all i’ve seen stitched upon my skin viscerally i can feel where i’ve been still within my present now sometimes when i tune in to my body’s tension i can hear whispers of my soul pulsating softly simply asking for release
on body
06/2025
i’m starting to understand what they mean when they say your body keeps the score in the layers below my mind’s control my body bears my story with imprints of my past my sins and all i’ve seen stitched upon my skin viscerally i can feel where i’ve been still within my present now sometimes when i tune in to my body’s tension i can hear whispers of my soul pulsating softly simply asking for release
on hope
06/2025
hope i still cannot tell if it is the active practice of choosing again and again not to succumb not to harden but to live out our longing now or if hope is a quiet revelation already deep within a small flame burning still burning in the hollow silence a sacred gift inviting us to step as pilgrims of faith into eternity
on hope
06/2025
hope i still cannot tell if it is the active practice of choosing again and again not to succumb not to harden but to live out our longing now or if hope is a quiet revelation already deep within a small flame burning still burning in the hollow silence a sacred gift inviting us to step as pilgrims of faith into eternity
on hope
06/2025
hope i still cannot tell if it is the active practice of choosing again and again not to succumb not to harden but to live out our longing now or if hope is a quiet revelation already deep within a small flame burning still burning in the hollow silence a sacred gift inviting us to step as pilgrims of faith into eternity
on friendship
06/2025
we are all temporary travelers on this fragile sphere together pedaling forward at our own pace towards our shared final place where our hearts cease to beat along this voyage as we stumble over holes and get stuck in circles our temptation is to cover our cracks and fold into ourselves but when we crash face-forward into the gravel of destiny gravity carving its name across our bruised jaws the real power of friendship steps from shadow into light in our fall we hear the inescapable call to sink into the other’s embrace and take refuge in their present steadiness our tender openness gives the other permission to bear witness a sacred gift veiled in the cloak of a plea filling up their cup just as much as ours
on friendship
06/2025
we are all temporary travelers on this fragile sphere together pedaling forward at our own pace towards our shared final place where our hearts cease to beat along this voyage as we stumble over holes and get stuck in circles our temptation is to cover our cracks and fold into ourselves but when we crash face-forward into the gravel of destiny gravity carving its name across our bruised jaws the real power of friendship steps from shadow into light in our fall we hear the inescapable call to sink into the other’s embrace and take refuge in their present steadiness our tender openness gives the other permission to bear witness a sacred gift veiled in the cloak of a plea filling up their cup just as much as ours
on friendship
06/2025
we are all temporary travelers on this fragile sphere together pedaling forward at our own pace towards our shared final place where our hearts cease to beat along this voyage as we stumble over holes and get stuck in circles our temptation is to cover our cracks and fold into ourselves but when we crash face-forward into the gravel of destiny gravity carving its name across our bruised jaws the real power of friendship steps from shadow into light in our fall we hear the inescapable call to sink into the other’s embrace and take refuge in their present steadiness our tender openness gives the other permission to bear witness a sacred gift veiled in the cloak of a plea filling up their cup just as much as ours
on powerlessness
06/2025
the time has come uninvited night showed up at my doorstep to strip me of my armor i once thought impenetrable yet now somehow i break i unravel scattered and wide open laid bare to the moon in my trembling nakedness i grasp at the branches to which i've clung in past storms and hide behind the familiar masks whose shadows i've inhabited when the truth has stung too hard my poor soul is unaware that no force of will no matter how fast it runs and how hard it pushes will mend these cracks but i will quickly learn as my mind stirs and my grip aches i cannot fix my way out of this all i can do is lay down my arms beneath the stars cast my sorrow into the wind’s care and give myself away to the night air this too shall pass
on powerlessness
06/2025
the time has come uninvited night showed up at my doorstep to strip me of my armor i once thought impenetrable yet now somehow i break i unravel scattered and wide open laid bare to the moon in my trembling nakedness i grasp at the branches to which i've clung in past storms and hide behind the familiar masks whose shadows i've inhabited when the truth has stung too hard my poor soul is unaware that no force of will no matter how fast it runs and how hard it pushes will mend these cracks but i will quickly learn as my mind stirs and my grip aches i cannot fix my way out of this all i can do is lay down my arms beneath the stars cast my sorrow into the wind’s care and give myself away to the night air this too shall pass
on powerlessness
06/2025
the time has come uninvited night showed up at my doorstep to strip me of my armor i once thought impenetrable yet now somehow i break i unravel scattered and wide open laid bare to the moon in my trembling nakedness i grasp at the branches to which i've clung in past storms and hide behind the familiar masks whose shadows i've inhabited when the truth has stung too hard my poor soul is unaware that no force of will no matter how fast it runs and how hard it pushes will mend these cracks but i will quickly learn as my mind stirs and my grip aches i cannot fix my way out of this all i can do is lay down my arms beneath the stars cast my sorrow into the wind’s care and give myself away to the night air this too shall pass
on self-relationship
06/2025
when the noise of the world subsides the distractions dissolve and the silence summons me to my soul’s mirror who do i see from this encounter all else follows herein lie the roots of my suffering and the seeds of my renewal that which has saved me yet chained me the harsh words the cowering the prayers for perfection the blame shame and regret all crowding the channel to my soul what if instead i called up all those people i've seen in my mirror offered them a seat at my table and kindly bid them farewell the time has come to finally open my eyes to my one quiet friend who has never left my side the real me hidden in the silence not waiting to be fixed only met in my mirror my pain is my invitation to greet my deepest self with the love that will set me and my world free
on self-relationship
06/2025
when the noise of the world subsides the distractions dissolve and the silence summons me to my soul’s mirror who do i see from this encounter all else follows herein lie the roots of my suffering and the seeds of my renewal that which has saved me yet chained me the harsh words the cowering the prayers for perfection the blame shame and regret all crowding the channel to my soul what if instead i called up all those people i've seen in my mirror offered them a seat at my table and kindly bid them farewell the time has come to finally open my eyes to my one quiet friend who has never left my side the real me hidden in the silence not waiting to be fixed only met in my mirror my pain is my invitation to greet my deepest self with the love that will set me and my world free
on self-relationship
06/2025
when the noise of the world subsides the distractions dissolve and the silence summons me to my soul’s mirror who do i see from this encounter all else follows herein lie the roots of my suffering and the seeds of my renewal that which has saved me yet chained me the harsh words the cowering the prayers for perfection the blame shame and regret all crowding the channel to my soul what if instead i called up all those people i've seen in my mirror offered them a seat at my table and kindly bid them farewell the time has come to finally open my eyes to my one quiet friend who has never left my side the real me hidden in the silence not waiting to be fixed only met in my mirror my pain is my invitation to greet my deepest self with the love that will set me and my world free
on liminality
06/2025
when your past story has run its course and no longer shines with the same warm light and your future once just down the familiar road ahead has now faded you may find yourself adrift in a sea of both finality and possibility outstretched between the dusk of your dimming past and the dawn of your unwritten tomorrow this eerie formless threshold where shadow meets light and time holds its breath this space is your portal to the other side you may plant seeds and water your soil but the real key to your beyond lies in listening to its silent whispers
on liminality
06/2025
when your past story has run its course and no longer shines with the same warm light and your future once just down the familiar road ahead has now faded you may find yourself adrift in a sea of both finality and possibility outstretched between the dusk of your dimming past and the dawn of your unwritten tomorrow this eerie formless threshold where shadow meets light and time holds its breath this space is your portal to the other side you may plant seeds and water your soil but the real key to your beyond lies in listening to its silent whispers
on liminality
06/2025
when your past story has run its course and no longer shines with the same warm light and your future once just down the familiar road ahead has now faded you may find yourself adrift in a sea of both finality and possibility outstretched between the dusk of your dimming past and the dawn of your unwritten tomorrow this eerie formless threshold where shadow meets light and time holds its breath this space is your portal to the other side you may plant seeds and water your soil but the real key to your beyond lies in listening to its silent whispers
on trust
06/2025
when all comes crashing down with the weight of the world ripping apart what i thought was true how do i trust when the ground holding my being crumbles into a million pieces leaving me frozen and flailing how do i trust when my dreamed future suddenly vanishes into the clouds revealing a horrifyingly limitless horizon how do i trust i wonder if this empty abyss is the only place i may at last come face to face with trust
on trust
06/2025
when all comes crashing down with the weight of the world ripping apart what i thought was true how do i trust when the ground holding my being crumbles into a million pieces leaving me frozen and flailing how do i trust when my dreamed future suddenly vanishes into the clouds revealing a horrifyingly limitless horizon how do i trust i wonder if this empty abyss is the only place i may at last come face to face with trust
on trust
06/2025
when all comes crashing down with the weight of the world ripping apart what i thought was true how do i trust when the ground holding my being crumbles into a million pieces leaving me frozen and flailing how do i trust when my dreamed future suddenly vanishes into the clouds revealing a horrifyingly limitless horizon how do i trust i wonder if this empty abyss is the only place i may at last come face to face with trust
mindful living
07/2019
Mindful living is gracefully gliding through the turbulent air of life. It’s steadily riding the waves with balance and ease. A smooth conversation with reality one moment to the next. One unfettered, continuous movement. Like water flowing down a stream, caressing the rocks on its path, It follows the natural way of things. An elegant dance with the present. A delicate balance between giving and taking. Light and supple, this being ultimately becomes effortless. Rather than impose, dominate or resist, it surrenders. Yes, it knows that forcefulness will only drive it further into the depths of delusion. Only by letting go does it truly get. Releasing the ego’s precious illusion of control. Asking instead of answering. Listening instead of speaking. It knows with the utmost certainty of spirit that it does not know. So it loosens its grasp, sinks into the current of life, and gives itself away to its liberating pull. And at that moment, it unleashes an unending journey into the unknown territory deep within itself - that place from which life can, at last, be lived fully. Mindful living slowly unfolds. Like a baby in the womb or a caterpillar in its cocoon. It follows no agenda, no rules. The mind calms. The heart opens. At their own pace. And this process finds nourishment in practice. To soften the edges and fill the holes. To bathe in tenderness. To soak up the solace of stillness. To stare straight into the two eyes of the present and directly experience the addicting taste of life alive, of life awake. Here lies the land of both-and. Where possibility abounds and spaciousness eternally expands. Where everything emerges, is seen, and is held - until its impermanence is unveiled. It’s the realm of renewal and the home of healing. The source of spontaneity and vivid dreaming. And it does not take itself too seriously because it has learned what it means to truly breathe. To dance, to sing, to laugh, to weep! Now and forever, it savors this sensuous world with amazement and awe. Mindful living is bodyful living. It is learning to inhabit this uniquely human vessel, with curiosity, intimacy, gratitude. It is fiercely rooted. With each step, it kisses the grounding Earth, and with each sensation it showers in the sweet rawness of life, Gently seeing - and feeling - that it too is Nature. Above all else, it hungers for relationship and craves connection. Resting on the cushions of courage and vulnerability, it meets at any distance and invites in. Its door never closes, and its widening welcome mat is always there. Inside, its heart’s devotion is not to fix but rather to listen, to understand, to care. Clothed with patience and compassion, it tends to pain and sees the inherent goodness overflowing within. Mindful living sows the seeds for mindful action. With time, it learns to set boundaries by asserting its Yes’s and its No’s. It takes a stance. It speaks its truth. It realizes its inexhaustible inner well of wise energy, and channels it towards the wellbeing of all. Towards justice and peace. Thus, by freeing itself it frees the world. In the end, mindful living is called to welcome every moment of reality with open arms. Like the shining sun, it does not discriminate. It warmly embraces life with all its color, complexity, and corruption. And by some irrational touch of grace, the joys and the sorrows, the light and the dark, the birth and the death, the me and the you, slowly fade away - revealing the true nature of abundant Love.
mindful living
07/2019
Mindful living is gracefully gliding through the turbulent air of life. It’s steadily riding the waves with balance and ease. A smooth conversation with reality one moment to the next. One unfettered, continuous movement. Like water flowing down a stream, caressing the rocks on its path, It follows the natural way of things. An elegant dance with the present. A delicate balance between giving and taking. Light and supple, this being ultimately becomes effortless. Rather than impose, dominate or resist, it surrenders. Yes, it knows that forcefulness will only drive it further into the depths of delusion. Only by letting go does it truly get. Releasing the ego’s precious illusion of control. Asking instead of answering. Listening instead of speaking. It knows with the utmost certainty of spirit that it does not know. So it loosens its grasp, sinks into the current of life, and gives itself away to its liberating pull. And at that moment, it unleashes an unending journey into the unknown territory deep within itself - that place from which life can, at last, be lived fully. Mindful living slowly unfolds. Like a baby in the womb or a caterpillar in its cocoon. It follows no agenda, no rules. The mind calms. The heart opens. At their own pace. And this process finds nourishment in practice. To soften the edges and fill the holes. To bathe in tenderness. To soak up the solace of stillness. To stare straight into the two eyes of the present and directly experience the addicting taste of life alive, of life awake. Here lies the land of both-and. Where possibility abounds and spaciousness eternally expands. Where everything emerges, is seen, and is held - until its impermanence is unveiled. It’s the realm of renewal and the home of healing. The source of spontaneity and vivid dreaming. And it does not take itself too seriously because it has learned what it means to truly breathe. To dance, to sing, to laugh, to weep! Now and forever, it savors this sensuous world with amazement and awe. Mindful living is bodyful living. It is learning to inhabit this uniquely human vessel, with curiosity, intimacy, gratitude. It is fiercely rooted. With each step, it kisses the grounding Earth, and with each sensation it showers in the sweet rawness of life, Gently seeing - and feeling - that it too is Nature. Above all else, it hungers for relationship and craves connection. Resting on the cushions of courage and vulnerability, it meets at any distance and invites in. Its door never closes, and its widening welcome mat is always there. Inside, its heart’s devotion is not to fix but rather to listen, to understand, to care. Clothed with patience and compassion, it tends to pain and sees the inherent goodness overflowing within. Mindful living sows the seeds for mindful action. With time, it learns to set boundaries by asserting its Yes’s and its No’s. It takes a stance. It speaks its truth. It realizes its inexhaustible inner well of wise energy, and channels it towards the wellbeing of all. Towards justice and peace. Thus, by freeing itself it frees the world. In the end, mindful living is called to welcome every moment of reality with open arms. Like the shining sun, it does not discriminate. It warmly embraces life with all its color, complexity, and corruption. And by some irrational touch of grace, the joys and the sorrows, the light and the dark, the birth and the death, the me and the you, slowly fade away - revealing the true nature of abundant Love.
mindful living
07/2019
Mindful living is gracefully gliding through the turbulent air of life. It’s steadily riding the waves with balance and ease. A smooth conversation with reality one moment to the next. One unfettered, continuous movement. Like water flowing down a stream, caressing the rocks on its path, It follows the natural way of things. An elegant dance with the present. A delicate balance between giving and taking. Light and supple, this being ultimately becomes effortless. Rather than impose, dominate or resist, it surrenders. Yes, it knows that forcefulness will only drive it further into the depths of delusion. Only by letting go does it truly get. Releasing the ego’s precious illusion of control. Asking instead of answering. Listening instead of speaking. It knows with the utmost certainty of spirit that it does not know. So it loosens its grasp, sinks into the current of life, and gives itself away to its liberating pull. And at that moment, it unleashes an unending journey into the unknown territory deep within itself - that place from which life can, at last, be lived fully. Mindful living slowly unfolds. Like a baby in the womb or a caterpillar in its cocoon. It follows no agenda, no rules. The mind calms. The heart opens. At their own pace. And this process finds nourishment in practice. To soften the edges and fill the holes. To bathe in tenderness. To soak up the solace of stillness. To stare straight into the two eyes of the present and directly experience the addicting taste of life alive, of life awake. Here lies the land of both-and. Where possibility abounds and spaciousness eternally expands. Where everything emerges, is seen, and is held - until its impermanence is unveiled. It’s the realm of renewal and the home of healing. The source of spontaneity and vivid dreaming. And it does not take itself too seriously because it has learned what it means to truly breathe. To dance, to sing, to laugh, to weep! Now and forever, it savors this sensuous world with amazement and awe. Mindful living is bodyful living. It is learning to inhabit this uniquely human vessel, with curiosity, intimacy, gratitude. It is fiercely rooted. With each step, it kisses the grounding Earth, and with each sensation it showers in the sweet rawness of life, Gently seeing - and feeling - that it too is Nature. Above all else, it hungers for relationship and craves connection. Resting on the cushions of courage and vulnerability, it meets at any distance and invites in. Its door never closes, and its widening welcome mat is always there. Inside, its heart’s devotion is not to fix but rather to listen, to understand, to care. Clothed with patience and compassion, it tends to pain and sees the inherent goodness overflowing within. Mindful living sows the seeds for mindful action. With time, it learns to set boundaries by asserting its Yes’s and its No’s. It takes a stance. It speaks its truth. It realizes its inexhaustible inner well of wise energy, and channels it towards the wellbeing of all. Towards justice and peace. Thus, by freeing itself it frees the world. In the end, mindful living is called to welcome every moment of reality with open arms. Like the shining sun, it does not discriminate. It warmly embraces life with all its color, complexity, and corruption. And by some irrational touch of grace, the joys and the sorrows, the light and the dark, the birth and the death, the me and the you, slowly fade away - revealing the true nature of abundant Love.
Thomas Bernhardt-Lanier
© All Rights Reserved
Thomas Bernhardt-Lanier
© All Rights Reserved
Thomas Bernhardt-Lanier
© All Rights Reserved