My dear friend I never met....

It is amazing how entire periods of your life can be forgotten until something suddenly brings it back. It is also amazing how something that speaks so strongly to the type of person you are can be totally left out of your life story.

We all have that spoken resume we are able to rattle off when we meet new people. It normally consists of age, career, marital and child status, place of residence and if those meeting you are lucky, a bit of insight into your personality and passion. Typically when you meet someone new for the first time, you are really only getting what they want you to know. What that person feels is most relevant to that point in time. If you are meeting them at your kids' soccer game, it may be a bit about your child, family and perhaps your own soccer experiences. If you are meeting someone at a networking event, your spoken pitch will obviously include your work experiences, talents etc. We obviously do have a certain amount of control in ensuring those we meet get the story we think they should walk away with.

Questions of the day....

Another blog that is going to be a challenge to write, but it is something I have been thinking about and talking about with those closest to me for so long, why not send it out into the intranets :) This is going to be a very personal post for me, so please, as always, be gentle.

As a small child, I feel like the only questions I was ever asked were about, what I wanted for Christmas. I am sure there may have been some questions about what I wanted for lunch, or what I wanted to wear, but I feel like more often or not, my Mom decided that for me. I can still remember getting the huge toy catalog that would come each year. I can remember flipping through it for hours, looking to see what I wanted Santa to bring me that year. I had so much fun looking through the catalog and I can remember circling items, folding down pages, etc. It was truly a sad day when I was no longer able to find anything I wanted and equally sad when I was no longer excited to receive the catalog.

Collection of Poems....Simple

A few years ago, I wrote a bunch of poems. Never claimed to be a poet, but sometimes words just come to me and I need to write them down. That may sound bizarre, but it is the honest truth. My next few posts will all be poems I wrote a few years ago......

~Simple~

Please and thank you

Hope and joy

Peace and love

Fairness and kindness

Empathy and gratefulness

Listen

Suddenly all that should be simple is not.

Helping and sharing

Giving to others

Respect

Treat your neighbor as you wish to be treated—forgotten

We are all one

Others became a chore

Money and power—more important

Love and peace will be found in

simplicity

Collection of poems....The City

A few years ago, I wrote a bunch of poems. Never claimed to be a poet, but sometimes words just come to me and I need to write them down. That may sound bizarre, but it is the honest truth. My next few posts will all be poems I wrote a few years ago......

The City

Sidewalks full of dreams and secret wishes

Late night strolls and pleas with the occasional star

Pulsing energy, endless possibilities

Millions of people, yet never more lonely

Faces seen by many, but never recognized by more than a few

Voices and fights go unacknowledged

Neighbors that are strangers

Time passes yet everything remains the same

Opportunities for a few

Challenges for more

Connected to and dependant on all by cared for by almost none

Effort is required

Silence is hidden

Beauty is found

Happiness is possible

In the city

Collection of Poems....Symmetry

A few years ago, I wrote a bunch of poems. Never claimed to be a poet, but sometimes words just come to me and I need to write them down. That may sound bizarre, but it is the honest truth. My next few posts will all be poems I wrote a few years ago......

Symmetry

Left and right

Up and down

Back and front

Symmetry

Balance

Beauty

Peace

And understanding

Symmetry

Right and wrong

Black and white

Real and imaginary

Life and death

Symmetry

Lakes and ocean

City and suburb

Calm and anxious

Balance

In the mirror symmetry is an illusion

In the world symmetry is impossible

We see what we have learned

What we want to be true

We do not see what is real

Faces dissolve into nightmares

Reality becomes a delusion

Past appears

Future becomes out of reach

Collection of Poems....Human

A few years ago, I wrote a bunch of poems. Never claimed to be a poet, but sometimes words just come to me and I need to write them down. That may sound bizarre, but it is the honest truth. My next few posts will all be poems I wrote a few years ago......

Human

You, me

Human

Right, wrong

Human

Young, old

Human

Black, brown, white, red

Human

Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Aethist

Human

Rich, poor

Human

Republican, democrat, liberterian

Human

Gay, straight, transgendered, unsure

Human

Mistakes

Human

Love

Human

In the end,

We are all human.

Collection of poems...."Soul"

A few years ago, I wrote a bunch of poems. Never claimed to be a poet, but sometimes words just come to me and I need to write them down. That may sound bizarre, but it is the honest truth. My next few posts will all be poems I wrote a few years ago......

 soul

This isn’t your first time here

Your footsteps feel like memories

You have done this before

Ever-learning, forward moving.

The past like a distant song

In dreams the words become more clear

The sky remains unchanged

Encourages my love for it to grow

Trying hard to find my self, define myself, love myself.

The great truth feels within reach

The Golden Rule

Unconditional love and respect

Beauty is everywhere except within me

My search continues.

Let's talk, no seriously, let's......

So, there are so many places I could take this blog and so many things I want to say. I am not sure how well or cohesive any of this will be.  After initially deciding I would sleep on all of this, my brain just won't stop and I need to get this out.

Mentors and Friends....

This post probably would have been much more timely around Thanksgiving, really giving me the opportunity to give a quick shout out to three individuals who all started out as mentors and quickly became friends.

Life is hard, I have no problem admitting that. Making decisions, pushing yourself, looking within and making changes all can be scary and often require support and advice from those wise and caring folks you have around you. I am extremely lucky to have met so many folks over the years, and I just wanted to send a special thank you to three of them. There are many more I could mention and people like Greg, my sister and my parents are probably obvious, but let's start with the three that come to mind most immediately.

Just say no.....

Growing up as a child of the 80's and 90's I was taught this mantra from a very early age. If you really break it down, it appears to read, duh, "just say no", of course the concept is easy...."just say no". No thinking necessary, just say no. Heck, it is taught to children and appears to need no real follow-up or explanation. I know we had a D.A.R.E. program, but I also know the mantra, more than anything, is what has stuck with me.

Unconditional Love....

Sometimes I feel like such a baby. Someone says one thing to me and it hurts my feelings. When my feelings get hurt, they get hurt really bad. I have no doubt I am super sensitive and this is something I really need to work on. I feel like I have been trying to work on it for so long and I am proud to report that I do not burst into tears as easy as I use to, but I still do often find myself holding them back.

I'm an acorn

I never talk about being an acorn. I certainly haven't mentioned it in any of my blogs. In fact, I rarely talk about it at all. It isn't something that comes up in every day conversation and I almost feel like bringing it up would be nearly impossible in any other setting.

Great Expectations

In the sixth grade I was absolutely certain that Jordan Knight was coming to my b-day party. This hope, and my great expectations for my 11th b-day was one of many great expectations that led to even greater disappointment.