INVESTMENT IN THE FUTURE

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INVESTMENT IN THE FUTURE

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A regret we should never have is "Wasting my time"

In an attempt to accomplish something

We did not ultimately accomplish

If you break down your efforts step by step

Some of those steps were worthwhile

Some were successes

You used your time as wisely as you could

Just as a toddler can not say "I wasted so much time crawling"

Without the crawling, walking could not come next

Then striding, maybe eventually running like the wind

No time was wasted, it was invested in learning

The most profitable use of time

You were trying out a formula for success, a process

If it did not work, we make note of what was amiss

And give it another try

This is the best use of time, rewarded with wisdom

Gaining strength and stamina from your earlier efforts

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POWER vs POWERLESS

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POWER vs POWERLESS

There are two kinds of hurt angry people

The first kind says "I must modify my behavior

Change my old thought patterns, up my game

Get some insights on the causes

So the vulnerabilities in my life can be

Fortified and made secure.

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The second kind of hurt angry person says

"I have been the victim of a person, a system

Those people over there are responsible for all the unhappiness

I currently feel."

They feel justified in attacking, trying to lash out at an unfair system

Perhaps trying to modify the world to suit their needs

Venting, attacking, complaining

These things do not improve the world at all

But they prevent taking much needed personal action

On aspects of their life which might be improved

Unfortunately when you look for solutions in the wrong place 

You do not find any

When you look at who to blame, there are many to blame

Blame never solved a single problem, it never healed a single broken heart

And that is the power we are really wanting, the power to heal our

Broken hearts, the power to feel good, happy, secure

The power to have a good life.

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ENCHANTED SHOPPING

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ENCHANTED SHOPPING

If you went shopping in Fairytale Land

What would you put in your shopping cart?

Dumbo's Magic Feather

Frosty's Old Top Hat

Pollyanna's Positive Spin

Dorothy's Red Slippers

Alladin's Magic Carpet

Scrooge's Attitude Adjustment

Alice's Little Golden Key

The Little Match Girl's Last Match

Jack's Ability to Reverse the Beanstalk Fiasco

The Ugly Duckling's Realization

Briar Rabbit's Clever Prevarications

Pinocchio's Desire to Become Real

The Big Bad Wolf's Lung Power

Harry Potter's Cloak of Invisibility

Raggedy Anne's Little Candy Heart

The Little Red Hen's self sufficiency

The Tortoise's Focus and Determination

Chicken Little's return to reason and common sense

The Little Red Engine's growing confidence

The Monkey's Paw 

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PATCHES

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PATCHES

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Everyone ends up a little the worse for wear

We carry on, patching up the worn-out places

With new ideas, new ventures

Until we decorate our invisible battle jacket

Each a unique expression of our personal journey

We should wear our patched garments with pride

We were there, we showed up

And here we are, ready for a brand new day.

Much respect for your past, which has morphed into the present

Continuing to morph until we reach completion within our selves

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SHOULDA COULDA WOULDA

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SHOULDA COULDA WOULDA

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All the fun we could have had

The paths we could have taken

The things we should have saved

They are gone, that ship has sailed

But the Ocean of Time is vast

A new ship on a new day

Is flying across the waves to this very moment

Ready to take us to where we want to grow next.

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ADVICE

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ADVICE

Here's an idea

Team up with someone practical

Down to Earth, grounded, sensible

Someone who can listen to reason

You don't need someone from Outer Space

The Twilight Zone, Nowheresville, Looney Tunes 

You need someone you can work with 

To find solutions, problem solve, keep track of what's important

So here's the thing - Avoid those Space Cadets living in a Cloud

And get you someone practical.

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MOMENTOUS

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MOMENTOUS

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Have your wonderful seconds join together

So a happy minute comes your way

To make your pleasant hour

In your lovely day

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Little drops make a mighty ocean

Atom by atom a planet is born

Thus, things are improved or created

By incremental steps all is transformed

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DEPTHS

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DEPTHS

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A Mystic might have an ordinary life on the surface

But the surface is not where the Mystic resides

The ordinary life is the stage set

Backstage Eternity and Infinity are the Guides

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SOME LOSSES ARE GAINS

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SOME LOSSES ARE GAINS

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We can lose our illusions

By having them painfully abraded away

If we must be dragged down our life path

Kicking and screaming every inch of the way

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We will be dragged along

If we won't let go

Over the jagged rocks we bleed

Until we finally say "NO"

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No, I won't go through this anymore

I am already whole and complete

We no longer need our illusions

We can walk on our own two feet

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First, we precariously toddle

Finally, we learn to run

Joyously down our life path

Shining brightly as the Sun

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CURIOUSER

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CURIOUSER

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I am never far from Alice, she is never far from me

We walk side by side in Wonderland

And Oh! the sights we see

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We walk the Path through darkling woods

Hidden creatures scurry by

Some are big and dangerous

Some are slick and sly

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We must be open minded

While remembering our goal

To safely navigate Wonderland

Then climb out of that rabbit hole

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We all have a path we walk

I hope yours is good

If you're ever close by Wonderland

Look us up in Tulgey Wood

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TO MY BROKEN REFRIGERATOR

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TO MY BROKEN REFRIGERATOR

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For many years you were really chill

Then Mercury went into retrograde, and you fell ill

The fridge part was not nearly as cold

The perfect temp for botulism and mold

So, my beloved fridge, our relationship is through

Because, in the end, it was either me or you.

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CONTINUUM

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CONTINUUM

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If you worry, if you fret

About things that haven't happened yet

Worry topics are so vast

We could also worry about the past

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Who will win the Civil War?

Or be president in 1864?

Will the dinosaurs go extinct?

Is Atlantis going to sink?

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We think of the past as set, like jello

There is nothing we can change

But there is no way to know for certain

The future is not the same

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Do what you can to improve today

The present moment is all we can hold

Past and future will do whatever they do

This very moment you own is pure gold

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SECOND THOUGHTS

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SECOND THOUGHTS

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Every time we resolve to do something

An improvement that takes sustained effort

Towards what might be a daunting task

That resolve is Will - "I will do this thing."

That is when an odd phenomenon could crop up

An Anti-Will 

A little urge to behave in ways opposed to our Will

A suggestion to quit that weakens the Will

Or suggests something diametrically opposed to our goal

Perhaps out of sheer perversity

There must be survival value in the Anti-Will

A note of caution, including alternate considerations

In the end, if our goal is a good one

We must not be diverted down tributaries

That go nowhere

Keep your hand on your Will

Don't let Anti-Will take control

Undermining all your hard work

Dissolving your resolve

Will can prevail if you stand behind it

Support it, reinforce it, give it a chance

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FRIENDS OF CHRONOS

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FRIENDS OF CHRONOS

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Now You has a relationship with Future You

Now You can set things up so that Future You

Can do things more conveniently, easily

Because those essential elements of success

Were provided and waiting for Future You

Now You can lay in supplies you will need

Can eat healthy so Future You can feel good

Now You can learn something useful, developing skill

Future You will benefit from

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Past You can only wave from time's memory video

A grainy moment we retain in an album

But the relationship between Now You and Future You

Is vibrant, dynamic, intimate

Tell Now You to choose wisely, live frugally

And for Heaven's sake, begin right this second to encourage

Both Now You and Future You by recognizing your accomplishments

And potential, that locked reward we unlock with effort

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OCEAN OF IDEAS

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OCEAN OF IDEAS

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It is hard to know what to do with a big personality

A certain amount of personality is needed

To navigate in society

For a big personality the question is

What to do with the excess, the runoff?

It can't be stored in jars and bottles

Or folded and placed neatly in a drawer

It needs to be put to good use

Painting, drawing, inventing, sculpting, writing, poems

Like a mighty river the ideas flow out of a big personality

Flowing into the vast Ocean of Ideas

Filled with abundant visions and swelling enthusiasm

An Ocean we all swim, survive and frolic in 

Created by our drops of inspiration and, most of all, love.

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HOLY DAY BY DAY

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HOLY DAY BY DAY

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When a routine and schedule become the daily pattern of life

The many repeated actions grow dear 

To our sense of orientation, time and place

Fixed in our inner map of "You Are Here".

Thus, brewing tea, preparing a salad, making the bed

Become ceremonies

Doing the same thing in the same way each time

Becomes a ritual of love and attention in the Temple of the Holy Day by Day

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CHOR-US

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CHOR-US

I have harmonious relationships with those 

Who are singing the same song

But we are not all singing the same song

This does not have to be a problem

I can hear their true song without trying to drown them out

With my true song

I will save my song to sing with those who hum the same tune

Tap their foot to the same beat of a Cosmic Drummer

Only we can hear.

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INNER SANCTUM

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INNER SANCTUM

Things are going to play out

However they are going to play out

There's only a miniscule mite of difference I can make

To the grand scheme of life

However, on a greatly reduced scale

I can make a huge difference

About how I experience my world

Healthy choices. mindful decisions, planning and preparation

Suitable companions

While the beasts of war and destruction roar

Outside the  gates

Inside, where we live and dwell and have our being

It can be cozy, wrapped in self-care, curled up with a good book

Watching the fragrant steam rise from a cup of tea.

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TONGUE UNTIED

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TONGUE UNTIED

There are a lot of weird tongues

In the animal world

Anteaters and woodpeckers have long useful tongues

That unspool and lap up their creepy crawly meal

There are forked tongues that quickly flick from between scaly lips

To taste the air

Sticky tongues of frogs whipping out to catch a bug in flight

Purple prehensile tongues of giraffes 

That grab high branches and strip off the tasty leaves

But of all the creatures on Earth with tongues

Only humans have tongues that can lie

That can deceive the unwary heart 

Tongues that can heal with gentle words of love

Tongues that can express the longing or beauty 

Contained within the swelling soul

Animals communicate in many ways

But only humans can use their tongues for 

Devilish destruction or heavenly comfort

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MINE ENEMIES

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MINE ENEMIES

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I must not demonize my enemies

Because that would make them demons

But they are not demons

They are like me

They are learning on the job, making rookie mistakes

Feeling kind of blah, getting flustered when rushed

Knowing that they have the condition of humanness

I know they have a dark side just like I do

I know what to expect and what can never be

Actually, I feel a tad sorry for them

Yet, I will not let them annoy me, I have better things to do.

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I AM THANKFUL FOR

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I AM THANKFUL FOR

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The diseases I didn't get

Accidents I didn't have

Bad relationships I avoided

Disasters that didn't befall me

Violence that passed me by

Tragedies that evaporated

Before they hit the ground.

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SELF TO SELF

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SELF TO SELF

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When I was talking to myself inside my head

While I was making the bed

 

I used the word "daren't"

And myself was surprised and impressed with myself

If that is even possible

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ONE STEP AT A TIME

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ONE STEP AT A TIME

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When we walk for exercise, we discover 

There are many types of walking

Worry upset walking is how I began walking for exercise

Walking calmed me down, made space between me

And what was perplexing me

Gradually I added Mantra walking

Repeating a helpful phrase over and over

Philosophy walking when I mull over the weighty issues

We all grapple with occasionally

Or in my case, daily

Wrapping-My-Head around it walking

Where I am just beginning to cope

Counting Steps walking when I just don't want any thoughts at all

Imagination walking where I am anywhere my dream mind conjures up

London with Sherlock Holmes, The Silk Road, The Orient Express, Mars

Mindful walking where I coordinate my steps to my breath

Therapeutic walking where me and my Tulpa walk together

Chatting amiably about diverse topics

My favorite is Zen Walking where I simply walk, not thinking

Just experiencing the walking

This often turns into a forest of calm and retreat

To refresh my soul and spirit

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GROWTH, INTERRUPTED

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GROWTH, INTERRUPTED

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Here's one reason to avoid vice

To leave wickedness alone

Because those that are vice hardened

Are gradually turned to stone

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Feelings become rocks to throw

Tenderness solidifies into dust

The life of vice is petrified

Iron ore turned to rust

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THANKSGIVING 2024

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THANKSGIVING 2024

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I am grateful for my friends on Facebook

We are the citizens of a mythical land

Where there are others a lot like me

We help each other understand

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Life is so unpredictably stormy

But with you I have found a port

Piling up philosophy blankets and pillows

Together in our intellectual fort

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We don't know what the future will bring

Whatever it is, we'll get through

My Dumbo's feather of confidence

Is me being stronger with you

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THE PROCESS

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THE PROCESS

His mother yelled at him after school

Because he STILL hadn't cleaned his room

Every time he was told to get to it

He always answered "Soon"

But this time his mom had it

She said this is where my reminders end

If your room is not clean by Saturday

You can't go out with your friends

Oh he was so angry and resentful

That, on his way to school

He spray painted swear words on the children's slide

And cursed his Mom for a fool

He couldn't process his feelings

Or understand the need for discipline

He just acted out in destructive ways

Thinking he's getting even

With time and more maturity

His ability to process his feelings grew

Until he no longer had a meltdown

Cooperation is the path he will choose

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