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TIRED
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Resilience is like the tread on a tire
It can get worn down to the thread
Then we can't get any traction
For the plans roiling in our head
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This is when we must retire
In pastures of green we restore
Our lives in this mindful moment
Until we can travel on once more
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YONDER
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The witches know when a witch passes on
They no longer appear, but they are not gone
There's a veil between us, we can only see shades
The shadows a divine eternal flame makes
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WAR KITTENS
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In the midst of the Civil War
With death and blood all around
Lincoln bent down and picked up three kittens
Their mother was not to be found
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He cuddled the kittens tenderly
Told them soothingly not to cry
That they would be well cared for
Lincoln would not let them die
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Abe couldn't stop the battles
Nor bring peace to all the land
But he could save these three kittens
Fate placed in his large, gnarled hands
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SANCTUARY
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If something comes to vex you
Put on your amethyst crown
Protect that most holy of holies
The inner sanctum of a peaceful mind
Your temple of thoughts
Where beliefs, like stained glass windows
Casts jewel like colors on the changing interior
Only you can enter that innermost retreat
The incense of timeless connections
Carries your hope and dreams to the place
Beyond the sky
You are ageless in your robes of silver and gold
Able to access all wisdom that you request
While the storms of life rage outside
You retreat into the shelter of nurturing self
And wait until it is safe to go out and tackle the world
One day at a time
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SMART IS A MINDSET
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If you're confronted with a situation
And you're trying to think it through
You can always ask yourself this question:
"What would a stupid person do?"
They might loan out their precious money
Without getting a promisory note
They might buy a kayak sight unseen
Without finding out if it can float
There are so many scenarios
Available to you
You want to skip the ones
A stupid person might choose
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BIRDWATCHING IN OCTOBER
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The ghosts of millions of Passenger Pigeons
Whir across gray skies
I can see them with my longing soul
But not with mortal eyes
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LOST AND FOUND
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When I ask myself "What was I thinking?"
I must admit I don't know
I can't reconstruct my former mindsets
It all seems so long ago
What will I think in the future?
I'll have to wait and see
So many possibilities
Stretch out to infinity
That leaves the current moment
What shall I think about today?
Are my plans in my best interests?
Are there dangers along the way?
I walk the familiar path to see
I contribute what I can
Try to set things up for me
That is my current plan
The mysteries of this moment
Space and time will provide
The playground for my spirit
A cosmic slip and slide.
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IN THE MORNING
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We fill our hearts with courage
That fuels our inner sun
We top off the tank with wisdom
Grease the wheels with fun
Go forth on your adventure
Finding treasures along the way
But first charge your heart with courage
Because today's a brand-new day
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WHAT THE TOMATOES TAUGHT ME
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I had a few precious tomatoes
The special ones ripe on the vine
Tomato season had ended
I had already begun to pine
I slowly doled out those glorious tomatoes
Oh such sandwiches I had!
I saved the best one for last
But .... that last one had gone bad
I should have eaten them all
Not waited because I was blue
That tomato season was over
That one tomato would not see me through
Next year I will be smarter
With that juicy red ball of sun
I will eat them with reckless abandon
Heedless of what else might come
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MODERATE
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If there is a left side
And there is a right side
Then there is a place in the middle
Why folks flock to the radical and drastic
Is the key to this whole riddle
They might not even know themselves
Why they are so het up
Instead of promoting healthy negotiation
They would poison the communion cup
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ALL OF THE PEOPLE, ALL OF THE TIME
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Maybe you are feeling it too?
As we walk our path
The uneasy feeling that something is not quite right.
The sense that right around the next bend
Something wicked might be lurking
There have been false alarms in the past
What we need is vigilance, all of us
If you see something, say something
Blow the whistle, call out the neighbors
All along the watchtowers smart people with experience
Will keep a lookout
We can pool our experiences and share them
Ask each other "Watchman, what of the night?"
To be forewarned is to be forearmed
Just in case, my dear friends, just in case.
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ROOM FOR ALL
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Faith without works is mere theory
We need hope to never grow weary
Of being followers of the Golden Rule
With lovingkindness as our only tool
We make rows and plant the seeds of peace
Chasing away the heckling crows
Who want to peck at the tender seedlings
Ruin our garden before it grows
My Garden of Peace can spread out
Joining with others that are about
With our faith in the good we stand
Until the Garden covers the land
We want a world we never had
Except in some myth or fable
When the Garden finally yields its crops
And all are invited to the table.
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GOOD vs EVIL
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When the devil hands you magic magnifying glasses
Whatever you do, don't put them on
The second you put on those glasses
You begin to see everything's wrong
All seems hopeless and lacking
It seems like the bad guys will win
It is completely demoralizing
This leads to temptation and sin
Of course, not all dissatisfaction
Is the result of the devil
Sometimes we evaluate things
In a way that is fair and level
This kind of insight is helpful
And can lead you to see
The parts of your life that needs upgrades
A version of your life that can be
It is important to make this distinction
Between having a bummed out perspective
And seeing a clear path to improvement
A worthwhile and attainable objective
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NO PLACE LIKE OM
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Life goes faster and faster
At such a hectic pace
It takes all the running we can do
Just to stay in the same place
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How do we slow down the wheel?
Can we stop for breath or brain?
To consult our inner GPS
Before we dash off again
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We were always told if you snooze you lose
You can sleep after you're dead
But these are fear based tactics
What can we use instead?
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First we start at our inner center
To find the still place of calm
Go there until we feel peaceful
Then relaxed we carry on
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TAKING CONTROL
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When I began assigning blame
To everyone that I could name
And those whose names I did not know
The blame rained down on those below
Soon everyone was soaking wet
As steeped in blame as one could get
Every mean act, every wrong
The rain of blame went on and on
Until my world was one vast sea
Of blame that somehow stranded me
On my leaky Ark of grief and pain
I longed to see dry land again
Forty days and forty nights
I sloshed around on wrongs and rights
Until the Sun broke through the dark
I wanted off that rage filled Ark
Hurt can be healed eventually
But blame had only stranded me
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EVOLUTION REVOLUTION
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Our social systems have evolved
From a small cave dwelling population
Struggling to survive another day in the forest
To huge almost treeless cities and countries
The one thing we know about evolution
Is that it doesn't end
Big wheels keep on turning
Cranking out change after change
The past almost swept clean by the broom of eons
Whatever we have evolved to now is not a cause for concern
Just as we are not concerned by the immature three year old
Having a tantrum. They will grow past this stage
Although we don't see evolution in action day by day
Over centuries everything will change
Human nature will remain the same
But the means and methods of expressing that nature
Will evolve and keep evolving
That's a guarantee
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PORTAL
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Go big or go home is one theory
But over time I've grown leery
Of grand gestures or soaring ambitions
Instead I observe the conditions
Then take one small step to see
What will happen to me
I don't want to trip on a stone
Deep down I know I'm already home
So, while I travel this quest
Each challenge I must take the test
Once I have learned I can pass
The need to go back through the looking glass
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THE WHITEST FLAG OF ALL
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We don't give up because we can't give up
We can only surrender to the facts, the reality
The situation as it is
This is not giving up
Surrender is taking control
Planning the next step, the next phase towards our goals
Surrender is choosing peace over futility
The white flag symbolizes a clean slate
An unplowed field, a pure featureless resting place
Our energies no longer squandered on futility
Clarity, truth, honesty are the roads that lead to surrender
You must be strong to surrender
Self-will can become a mighty engine barreling along
In the wrong direction
Screeching to a full stop is a tremendous brave effort
Speed and power are only an advantage
If you are headed in a good orderly direction
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COLLABORATION
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I am not you; you are not me
So, of course, we handle things differently
I'll be me; you be you
We can share our points of view
A conundrum for me might be something you solved
We can both benefit from how the other evolved
Many points of view might eventually blend
Into a better way of moving forward, thanks to our friends
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REMEDY SPELL
Prescriptions don't always come from a pharmacy
Here are a few for you, from me
In the morning set your attitude
By naming five reasons for gratitude
At night before you sleep or pray
Name three nice things that blessed your day
Things that seem like they're declining
Also have a silver lining
We must not stall and wait
Until our path is smooth and straight
When you have a case of "can't"s
Sing three things you did well
While you dance
The reason why these tricks deserve a mention
Is that outrage seems to get all the attention
Crossing the street to the sunny side
Will add bounce to your step
Confidence to your stride
Try these formulas for one week
To restore the happiness that you seek
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GROWING SEASON
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When growing season is over
The bare fields rest and dream
The harvest has been gathered
Frost creeps in unseen
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This time of lying fallow
Is a crucial vital thing
To reenergize the soil
Bring forth a vibrant spring
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We are like these fields
Productive in our season
We must completely rest sometimes
And plant new seeds of purpose and reason
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IRRECONCILABLE
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We might be able to agree that we don't agree
But little else
Yet we can behave in a civil manner
Unless we are dealing with a lunatic
Who weaponizes their opinion
Into some violent outburst
Then what do we do?
We can't reason with the unreasonable
We must use toddler tactics with the added benefit
That we are not responsible if they injure themselves
In their tempest filled teapot
Don't brawl with the Disagreeables
They are annoying at best and dangerous at worst
Mentally pat them on their little pointed heads
Get away from them, if they persist
Call Law Enforcement
Let the haters foam with fury
Someplace else, out of sight and out of mind
I could see peace instead of that
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SAFE ROOM
There is a room, a safe room
Where we can go, locking the unbreakable door
With an invincible lock
Quiet and calm, we feel peaceful and secure
In our pleasant room, decorated with everything
You find interesting, fun, comforting or inspiring
Stay as long as you want in your safe room
The ambient sound being what you need at that moment
Music, nature sounds, a gentle hum
No one can find you in your safe room
Once you close the door you are no longer in the world
You are outside of time, eternal, unrestricted by Earthly concerns
Where is this room?
It is in your mind.
Perhaps you haven't found it yet but it's there
Keep following the maze of thoughts
Trying each door along the way
One of them will open revealing your safe place
Worry, fear, anger, upset can all be shut out
Once the door closes you can know peace
Because you are finally safe and free.
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STORM CHASER
There's a big red storm on Jupiter
Roiling along year after year
It looks dangerous with power
Since we're on Earth, we mostly don't care
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The big angry storm on Earth
Now that's a different story
It's been going on since the dawn of time
An Existential fury
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Like the storm on Jupiter
No place avoids its wrath
Unless we calm the troubles down
We might end up in its path
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Stop feeding precious energy
Into anger and outrage
Put that energy into ways
We all can grow and change
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We don't want the awful storms of war
To live lives of fight or flight
When we can manage to calm ourselves
We can set things right
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"THIS THOUGHT NO LONGER AVAILABLE"
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Download the new Thought Blocker app
It will let you pick and choose
Which thoughts you wish to scroll past
Which thoughts are of no use
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When an unproductive thought pops up
Thought Blocker goes into action
Check off the thoughts that are no good
Only keeping the ones that have traction
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Why be tortured with fear and regret?
Or terrorized by what might be
Thought Blocker lets all the worthy thoughts flow
Keeping your mind peaceful and free
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THEMS THE BRAKES
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We can make up our minds in an instant
Or we could take several years
We can only make a decision
When the path and object are clear
The mighty train of our will
Propels us down the tracks
What if we have to change course?
What if we discover new facts?
That is the time for action
To map out a new direction
Regret over lost time and treasure
Can come later with much introspection
The single most important thing
When we see this is the wrong way
Is to figure out the right train of thought
To get us to a much better day.
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SINNER PEACE
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How do we make peace with past mistakes?
First we realize that no one is perfect.
We didn't raise ourselves
The family and community we grew up in had certain dynamics
That sculpted how we acted, thought, felt
That might not have fit who we really are
Minds can be scarred with worry, fear, trauma
There was no way to get to where we are now
Without having wandered in the Wilderness of Confusion
Our regrets are our lessons
If we learn them we can graduate, move on
More centered, grounded, our awareness heightened
To a wiser more responsible level
It is this point we fully realize our mistakes
Because we are better people - making our mistakes
As irrelevant as an old textbook that has since been updated and revised
Dozens of times
We passed the test, learned the lesson
Upgraded our standards for ourselves
Now it is time to accept the new improved version of ourselves
We start behaving the ways we want to behave
There is nothing more peaceful, more beneficial to society
Than people who are consciously trying to do good
People who live calm loving lives like us
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ONE FOOT IN THE FOREST PRIMEVAL
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Survival is a strategy devised by the individual
Supported by the herd, performed in a special environment
We don't want to find ourselves in the wrong place
Or be in the right place at the wrong time
Each living being has an instinct to survive
It warns us of danger, to stay alert
Ready to spring into action should a threat appear
Humans can get lulled into a false sense of security
Surrounded by the gaudy trappings of civilization
But behind the indoor plumbing and antibiotics
We can get caught up in a trap, make unhealthy decisions
Often through no fault of our own
Yet many dangers can be foreseen
Humans are the best foreseers, predictors, planners
First we prioritize survival just as a deer in the woods
Avoiding predators, staying quick and strong
Ready to bolt, fight, hide, run for our lives
We are part of nature
Nature's Number One imperative is survival
To live and love another day under the sun and stars
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