blame the gadgets

All in a group,
one on her phone,
talking away
to one far away
the rest of us,
being courteous,
have blocked it out
conversation and all,
until the one on the phone
is done with her call
and joins the group again.

These outbursts of speech to people unseen
occur so often that now I appear mean...
as when people erupt in conversation
I tend to have already blocked them out.
Never mind that you were half way done
telling me all about your weekend fun
I assumed it was more of the same,
you on your cellie...
unless of course, you called my name.

It's an adjustment of the times,
a consequence of being 'gadgetized',
so don't take it personal when I block you out,
it's a reflex action my body clearly thought
I could no longer live without.

changing perceptions

Change the circumstance,
and, if not careful,
expectations are bound to change with it.
But change the expectations,
and all of a sudden
what used to be sufficient
no longer holds its former joy.
Yet nothing real has diminished;
nothing real has changed,
except the bar in your own mind.

the danger of a single story

The danger of a single story
by: Chimamanda Adichie

tres décadas de vida

Maybe it's a characteristic of milestones that gets people thinking (and maybe over-thinking) the decisions they have made and the resulting life they have led. Whatever the reason, despite being distracted by a busy life, I have found myself deep in the realms of my own mind more frequently than usual: investigating the roads I have taken and forecasting paths based on decisions still waiting to be made.

I have concluded for the most part that I am generally alright with where I am, though I have definitely made some bad choices along the way, and will probably make more in the future. It's easy to say you will learn from them, and I am not disputing that we do, but every instance of life gives us another opportunity to decide, and more often than not the parameters around each decision will never be exactly the same again... so it's a whole new experience each and every time.

What has life offered me the past 30 years? Many valuable and memorable moments that will remain with me hopefully till the very end; many valuable moments that impacted me greatly at the time but that my memory has already discarded; many moments I may have concluded were a waste of time, but was time spent doing something that must have impacted my journey nonetheless; many faces and names and places and 'games' not in that order of importance, preference or appearance, all having their moment, some rendered useless and others so important they could not be forgotten if I tried.

What is in store for the next moments of my life? Your guess is as good as mine.

convergent

I'm coming to realize that despite thousands of minute differences, people are way more alike than they even realize.

steady

Things change
plans fail
and you look for love on a grander scale
storms rise
weakness wins
and you lose your foothold once again...

When the going gets tough
when the ride's too rough
when you're just not sure enough
Jesus will still be there

adapted from Point of Grace

dragged

For the first time ever I am impatiently waiting on the month to end :(

cleansed

Hot showers:
perfect remedy
for washing
all cares away.

brace yourself

When body, mind and spirit are all tired at the very same time; when at a destination and sitting in silence and solitude to compose self enough to face the day... there is comfort in this timely reminder:

'Don't you worry,
God is faithful and he cares
about the tears of joy,
and the pain you feel?
He's there.
When you are weak,
that's when He's strong
even though you don't know how...
God can
and He will
hold you now.'

life's meadows

They carried the little seed
and placed it in the soil.

She was scared and very reserved.
The surroundings were new,
she had never even seen most of the other seeds and flowers before.

At first, she felt very intimated, and did not share much
but then, seeds befriended her, and together they started to bloom.

She blossomed into a gorgeous flower,
opening her petals to the world, the sun, rain and wind.
She felt different while experiencing each element
but began to trust that each was good for her growth.

One score and six years later,
though enduring the full range of nature,
she still stands firm against the elements
that continue to make her strong and beautiful.

Happy Birthday Le!