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It is annoying, even frustrating to weave along a highway and find out it leads nowhere. All of us have made a turn or continued going straight Ending up at the end of a road... SOMEWHERE? There exists an abundance of Dead Ends in this world, Both on maps and in our lives. And if you are of any age at all, You know, It happens to everyone. You are not alone. No need to let it be a surprise. We learn to turn around and head back to the main road, Whatever main road that might be. But often we are frustrated and annoyed For wasting time on those paths Which to nowhere lead. Have heart my friends, Do not despair when this happens again. I learned from watching the kids play Mario There is often a jewel, a key, or a helpful bit of information In the cul-de-sacs and turnarounds that halt us suddenly At a wall around a bend. Now you are laughing, or crying perhaps At the silliness of this verse. But tell me is it not the truth That from everything we can learn? And if we cannot learn, what is worse? Even if the only purpose is to guide another by saying, “That’s a Dead End, a no-outlet path.” We might as well, when we are present anyways Look for that hidden jewel or nugget of gold tucked carefully away for us as we pass. You might be surprised, as I often am At how Dead Ends are good for you. If Mario and Luigi can find them, turnaround, and then go on. You and I can too. <><><>
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Life is a Mirror.
Life is a REALLY tough mirror. You make a mean face at it, It makes a mean face back at you. You throw a rock at it, Let me tell you because I know… It will not break, It will not bow, but it will sling a stone back at you. Sometimes the projectile is just a pebble, Often though, A hot lava rock, Sometimes a boulder. Be aware. Ask me how I know… How each hurts a little differently. How each teaches you some thing. SOME THING you need to know Further down the road. Life is a Really Tough Mirror. Yet, If you smile at Life, The rebound tends to be much better. And the more regularly you smile, The better the reflection appears. And if you toss it sweet roses, Even better still. To every push, There is a push-back. For every thrust, A parry. Much as bouncing a ball off of a wall. The harder you cast it, The more forceful it comes “Smack!” Don’t let it rebound into your head, or whack you in the back. A ripple in a pond, A tsunami in the sea. Going out knowing it will return. Be wise now, Knowing this is how it will be. Not saying there is NEVER occasion to put a shoulder to a task. To give a push, A shove, Or launch an arrow. Or unleash an grand avalanche. You know. Sometimes it is the season of standing and fighting. A time for brawling and biting. Just know the fight comes back. Sometimes now, sometimes far away. Don’t just clap your hands and turn about, or in your back you will feel the blade. Perhaps the “at odds” will end in a dodge, spin, or twirl. We all hope for forgiveness, mercy, grace. Sometimes we are given them, More often in the world of humanness, we take one to the face. Forgiveness, grace, and mercy, the most blessed gifts we may obtain. Often first as a deflection of our meanness. Maybe later, As we learn, A reflection of our same. <><><> “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” Matthew 5:7-9 A person can fall off of either the low or high sides of the path… don’t worry about falling, just keep getting back on the path when you do stumble… grab onto a scrap and heave yourself back onto the roadway.
Don't overemphasize the being in the ditch, everyone runs off into the ditch sometimes. Life is about the GOING ON ANYWAYS. Go on; minimize the time spent in the ditch. GO ON. Get up. Walk the path. Live like your life depends on it. You can do it. Come on. :) :)  I appreciate the way this cartoon (CREDITS to DEAN JACKSON) illustrates the situation when growth happens to us and yet our friends/relatives/colleagues stay the same. It is not that we intend to cause problems or discomfort. It is not even a choice to grow many times. It is a "happening." Wings just sprout....and there is no stuffing them back inside the cocoon.
What we do have is: A choice about our course after the growth. Do we hang with the crawling caterpillars who make us feel guilt and shame for the new wings? Or maybe they don't criticize our changing, but celebrate our wings with us - how can we move away from such love and loyalty as that? Do we fly and see if there are more new butterflies like us somewhere? ?? Do we wait with the caterpillars and hope for their wings to soon appear? Do we both fly and hang near the ground? Does the wind grab us and remove us anyways? Do we take a hatchet to our wings? It is a dilemma everyone faces at some point in life...often many times. I doubt the Race has changed much in thousands of years, the Earth spins and we just get older as we run the Human Race upon it. And funny, how I just quickly assumed the butterfly role...I have also been the caterpillar. In fact, MANY times I have played the role of caterpillar and been left behind. I have made butterflies feel badly for flying when I could not or would not. I have also celebrated people growing wings, and then they flew away from me and I cried. <><><> Thoughts? <><><> Well, here are my thoughts about it, in verse format: The Human Race…And Love. Butterflies, Caterpillars, and Cocoons. A hard Race we run together. Sometimes in person, Yet often apart. I can honestly tell you, My friends: Not one of you, As we have ran this Race together, For a day or a decade, A moment, a minute, or a month, Have I ceased to love. Even life dividing and sifting us, As gravity imprisons us to earth Or as the wind tosses us about wildly If ever once I loved you, You still own a marker in my heart. I may not see you, Nor hear your voice Maybe not even understand you anymore. My mind may dim with age. My limbs wilting and faltering more and more. Still I love you from time we shared in this very hard Race. The heart is an eternal container, Holding the one thing which only ages, As it never goes away. Every other item may change, All may fall apart. But hidden somewhere is that love, Have no doubt, remaining within my heart. <><><> Contrast.
Black and White Dark and Light Dull and Bright Contrast. Neither an EITHER nor an OR Contrast exists only as an AND. Contrast is the edge of things Where the various opposings meet and sharply unite. Yet not blend. Thus the brightness of the line of contrast. Like Missouri and Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee, United, yet different. Same, yet not so. The edge of sky, Where it touches the mountains and trees. The edge of sand, Where it finds itself embraced by the sea. The line of sky on the far ocean horizon, as the two merge into distance, only because of the limits of our eyes. The special place where the trio of sand and sky and water meet, As an ever-moving line. Moving Contrast, uncontainable except in a moment. And then, not really contained, but shared for a fleeting instant with a human hand or bare foot. Contrast... Consider with me the perspective beyond bland. Be brave with me as we hold up opposition for viewing, Not only side by side, But closely touching. The Left and Right as integral parts of the whole. Contrast is sharp and often extraordinarily painful. It is an edge, the vanishing end to a knife's blade. It is the point of the tearing of bandage from wounding. The coldest water at first touch of warm skin. The final jump of an eagle's feet from cliff to air. Unmixed separates together, ever defining the edges of each other. There is a beauty in contrast. Even a necessity. Contrast often is only a sliver. The sliver between here and there, this and that. Us and them. It is the point at which we realize we are searingly alive. And so, Overcome by the beauty of life's contrast we smile as we cry. Yesterday touching today as today runs into tomorrow. So often, and so easily, We immerse our own selves in what WE know. And yet, There is always another perspective. Valid or Not. Another. To know and appreciate our own perspective better, Can we venture to entertain the wearing of the shoes of another? The wearing of the ocean on the sand, May or may not change the sand, But does not destroy the sand. And conversely the sand rises up a standard touching the ocean, But does not annihilate the water. Fear is born and bred in the unknown. So don’t fear. Know. Watch & Assess. Decide. Know an opposing view, And thus better Know Thyself. Know better what you should do. Being ever mindful of the blessed line of contrast. Yes, a Blessed Line. Do you see? And with me you might passionately disagree, But yet, I will be friendly like the sea to the sand or the sand to the sea. It is the way I have learned to be. If you find it in your heart, Be like this with me. In all our contrast, we are human beings after all. Running the same human race together each day. Holding each of us our own ideals, carefully formed. Honed by the contrast we dare to see. Thank you when you contrast me. <><><><><><> Let me leave you with a quoting from One far smarter than I. "Matthew 5: (KJV) 43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Dear Readers:
Thank you for your attention to my blog. I appreciate you. Also, I am happy to tell you of some recent success. The post “Regret” previously occupying this space has been added to a collection of published poems and prose entitled “31 Scraps And A Couple More.” The eBook “31 Scraps And A Couple More” is available FOR FREE DOWNLOAD for a limited time via Amazon’s KDP SELECT Program…starting January 1, 2016. By choosing to enroll this eBook in the KDP SELECT Program, I agreed to make the digital format available exclusively through KDP, and for free, for a limited time to Kindle Unlimited Subscribers. That would, of course, include this post “Regret.” Please Click on THIS LINK at AMAZON for your FREE DOWNLOAD. I am sorry for any inconvenience… And Again, I encourage you to download NOT ONLY this post, but the complete collection at the Link noted above. Thank you again for your consideration. Have a very good day. Pj Swink Boot Tracks in the Snow
************** Dear Readers: Thank you for your attention to my blog. I appreciate you. Also, I am happy to tell you of some recent success. The post “Boot Tracks in the Snow” previously occupying this space has been added to a collection of published poems and prose entitled “31 Scraps And A Couple More.” The eBook “31 Scraps And A Couple More” is available FOR FREE DOWNLOAD for a limited time via Amazon’s KDP SELECT Program…starting January 1, 2016. By choosing to enroll this eBook in the KDP SELECT Program, I agreed to make the digital format available exclusively through KDP, and for free, for a limited time to Kindle Unlimited Subscribers. That would, of course, include this poem/post “Boot Tracks in the Snow.” Please Click on THIS LINK at AMAZON for your FREE DOWNLOAD. I am sorry for any inconvenience… And Again, I encourage you to download NOT ONLY this post, but the complete collection at the Link noted above. Thank you again for your consideration. Have a very good day. Pj Swink Dear Readers:
Thank you for your attention to my blog. I appreciate you. Also, I am happy to tell you of some recent success. The post “A Friend” previously occupying this space has been added to a collection of published poems and prose entitled “31 Scraps And A Couple More.” The eBook “31 Scraps And A Couple More” is available FOR FREE DOWNLOAD for a limited time via Amazon’s KDP SELECT Program…starting January 1, 2016. By choosing to enroll this eBook in the KDP SELECT Program, I agreed to make the digital format available exclusively through KDP, and for free, for a limited time to Kindle Unlimited Subscribers. That would, of course, include this poem/post “A Friend.” Please Click on THIS LINK at AMAZON for your FREE DOWNLOAD. I am sorry for any inconvenience… And Again, I encourage you to download NOT ONLY this post, but the complete collection at the Link noted above. Thank you again for your consideration. Have a very good day. Pj Swink |
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