In Bright Meadows

The Girl in the Gray Sweater

Written by:

[an “egg” from February 14, 2014]

 

Today I rose up. I danced. I held the hands of my sisters as we gathered in revolution to put an end to violence against women and call for social justice. We danced as one without fear.

We could. We were in Dallas at One Arts Square.

But in hundreds of thousands of places on this planet on this day, many women are too afraid to step out. Women are changing that. Collectively all over the planet (last year it happened in over 200 countries) we are One Billion Rising in a global movement for justice and an end to violence against women. It’s a dance revolution of women (and good men and sweet children) rising in love. I felt grateful for this movement, for change, and for lion-hearted women.

I am also grateful for someone I’ll call the girl in the grey sweater.

After we danced the One Billion Rising, we were loosely gathered  listening to music, dancing, talking. Someone on the mic was talking about the importance of creating change so women can escape from violence. The girl in the grey sweater jumped up and shouted happily “I escaped this weekend!”

People heard her, but so much was going on there was not a response to her personal celebration. Women glanced her way, but did not respond to her jubilant proclamation. They stayed in the excitement of the event. They missed the opportunity to realize the meaning of it was standing there – right there – in a grey sweater.

She stepped a few feet a way. I could feel her sort of shrinking – not completely – just a loss of that rush of joy. I walked to her and asked what she escaped from.

She showed me the bruises on her arms.

We hugged. I cried a few tears of heartbreak and joy for her tenderness and bravery. She embodied the need for this movement. She also embodied the fearlessness a woman’s heart is capable of.

Blessings on the girl in the grey sweater. She ran on foot all the way from work some blocks away when she heard about the event. Bless her future. Bless her children.

I’m glad I met her. She’s a reminder to me not to let the “show” distract me from the meaning. It’s the personal that counts. It’s the person. Each one.

It’s not about the display.

 

Emptying Out the Day

Written by:

[This is an “egg” from October 3, 2013]

 

There’s a critical moment at the end of each day that gets lost.

In the busyness of life – the doing of all things necessary and even those things pleasurable – there’s an opportunity for a single moment of reflection; a moment that if experienced, changes everything. If I stop, get still, let the mind rest, and let myself feel the day it brings clarity, awareness, appreciation and, perhaps most importantly, release.

Much of the day I spend doing rather than being. I do laundry. I go to work. I shop. I prepare meals (ok, not so often or well, but I do make food). I take care the pets or other people or plants. I clean. I plan. I think. I do things that need done.

When do I feel?

In tiny increments during the day I feel glimpses of emotion. Irritation, amusement, happiness, impatience, pleasure, joy, sadness, frustration, elation, despair, pressure, anxiety, relief, fear. All of these and more make cameo appearances in my life as I am busy doing.

But what is the effect of the day on my soul? What happened today? How am I feeling after experiencing this day? Am I joyful, peaceful, worried, fearful, overwhelmed, excited, exhausted. What is the emotional content, the subtext, of today? Is my heart aching? Is it filled with love and appreciation?

Noticing the experience of being, rather than doing tasks, for a few moments at the end of the day allows me full awareness and connection to genuine emotions. The context of the day is the concern of my soul, whereas the content of the day comprises activities.

It is in this moment that I experience the soul of life. I feel deep peace. Rich joy. And sometimes great sadness or overwhelm. There is richness in fully experiencing feelings minus any activities that mask the depth of emotion.

I am in that deeper awareness. I know more of myself. I grow. And then . . . I let it go.

Therein lies a useful compass that helps me sail my ship in the right direction. In settling down with the truth of our emotional life there is understanding. A moment of awareness cultivated daily becomes an essential tool for inner wellness.

Which way are you going?

swim

Written by:

You swim through my soul

silently pulling me to a place so still

I forget that you are you and I am me.

Advice for Life and Love

Written by:

Just keep your wits about you and sail your ship.

Swab the deck when it’s time to swab the deck.

Hoist a pint when the sails are down.

But pay attention to the course and don’t get all googly

watching the sunset and run into a glacier.

Bath After Illness

Written by:

Laid to rest

my body floats.

Awareness arises between cells whose actions seem suspended.

There’s a finger;

oh, and a palm.

Yes, they are attached.

Too difficult to travel the arm.

Let go of details.

This body once strong has lost its power.

Floating as a warrior awaiting fiery arrows that will turn the vessel to ash,

release my soul.

Peacefully I relinquish.

Faint memories of a warrior’s body flow into dreams.

Puzzle Poem #2

Written by:

Yes, these related words appeared in the puzzle from blind draws in my morning solitairy letter tile crossword. It’s always fun to see what they become.

Late day sun dances leaves

to music from the breeze.

Mend and sew another hole,

wax another scuff on leather thin as paper.

Putter ’round the barn,

rake straw absent any goal.

Down the lane it’s all the same

an empty afternoon.

A pair appear, Dam and foal

trotting ‘long the dappled way.

Sorrel bright as fire

shine like honey drops of light.