Wednesday, June 19, 2019

GUESS WHO DECIDED TO VISIT MY SON, UNINVITED?

On Sunday, ‘never a dull moment’ came
Knocking at Steven’s front door so as to say—
Someone crashed into your parked car, today
On Monday, his hot water heater blew
Next thing he knew, his house was flooding
Next thing I knew, Gramma was enjoying
Double duty play time with Ravi, suggesting
Sleepovers leaving little writing time for
Me based in the fact that Steven’s plumber
Discovered sound reason to call in
A construction crew well seasoned at
Pulling up floors and knocking down walls
Which walls and floors?
Master bathroom floors and walls
Master closet walls and floors—Suggesting
The master bedroom being torn apart, as well
And if you think this post leans toward
Unexpected dizziness, just imagine
Uncovering mold awaiting discovery, causing
Walls to come down, here and there while
Tacks and nails are flying pretty much
Everywhere (to say nothing of water soaked floors
And plaster dust swirling through the air)
Sooo—that suggests my playing with Ravi
Pretty much 24/7 until every person in
Our family (which pulls together like
A well seasoned team) resumes his/her personal life once
Thing One and Thing Two—both of whom
Decided to move in with my son, uninvited—
Tire of creating mayhem in Steven’s abode
And as soon as this duo of swirling dervishes hits the road
Guess who’ll get busy changing the locks on
His front door, which, considering
The chaotic bedlam of this past week, seems to be
A very good plan if you ask me
On the other hand, today’s train of thought concerning
Mayhem usurping control over our lives is walking
Straight toward a positive note, yet to be expressed
(No doubt, you know positivity will be forthcoming, next)

Sunday, June 16, 2019

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!

Here's our family partying on down at Barry's 50th birthday bash, which
Being a blast from the past, saw everyone costumed in 70's garb—LOL!

Here’s hoping that Father's Day sees your family partying on down, as well!
Hooray!

Saturday, June 15, 2019

”LOVING SOMEONE DEEPLY GIVES YOU COURAGE”

I am reading a memoir—
Bend, Not Break
By Ping Fu and MeiMei Fo

Much of what befalls Ping Fu (author and main character, born in China during the early 1960’s), who has fended for herself (and her four year old sister) since she was torn out of her parents’ arms as a child of eight, is too sad to absorb with ease as her story offers a clear perspective of a happy childhood turned tragic due to the heartless nature of governmental intervention, which, caring for nothing other than usurping power over all, ensnares every brainwashed mind within a web of terror so petrifying as to corrosively sublimate (Wikipedia:  Eat away at; having the power of gradually destroying the natural texture or substance of a body; as the corrosive action of an acid)
 the free will of the people to bow to authority without so much as a rebellious thought of what life had been like before the current reign of terror had gained robotic control over every brain throughout the land.  Thank goodness, eight year old Ping, living in a dilapidated tenement apartment in Nanjing with her little sister (far from Shanghai, the city of her early childhood), corresponds with an uncle who quotes Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu: “He who conquers others is strong. He who conquers himself is mighty.”

Excerpt from Ping’s memoir:  “He (uncle) encouraged me to stay in a place of love toward other people, rather than sinking into resentment or fear. ‘Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage,’ he wrote.  Thanks to his kindness, love, and sage advice, and by bearing witness to my suffering, Uncle helped me reconstruct the sense of self that I had lost over the years. I was able to recover from my traumas[…]

Thank goodness for good hearted souls, like Ping’s uncle, whose words of wisdom serve to brighten our spirits with hope (concerning change for the better) when life feels so dark for so long as to arouse our defenses to numb our hearts to everything due to the fact that feeling nothing is preferable to feeling wracked with emotional pain so overwhelming as to seem to go on and on without end ...

Though The State expects perfected obedience from Ping, Uncle W reminds Ping that she need not be perfect to feel precious.

Thank goodness, we find that the human brain’s capacity for understanding and absorbing words of wisdom is able to pass positive focus back and forth at every age. (Don’t worry Gramma, I’ll hold your hand and you’ll be brave ...).  The ability to absorb and pass forward positive focus may not have happened for Ping had she never experienced feelings of thriving (rather than abject deprecation) in the loving arms of her parents early on.

When Ping, as a young adult, is exiled, she ‘finds herself’ studying in the United States where she takes a course with—“Donna Cox, a professor in the School of Art and Design at UIUC, on computer animation, who said, ‘Offering a different perspective and challenging the dominant worldview—this is a role artists always have played in culture.’ ”

Ping goes on to say:  “Donna taught us that the most important ingredient for success in this line of work was storyboards. I had been a literature major in college, so that made perfect sense to me: The first step in (drawing) anyone into your world was creating an engaging narrative.” 


As this excerpt serves to validate my compelling desire to 'tell' my story to you, my spirit, feeling validated, is experiencing sound reason to smile, suggesting that this is a good place to park today’s train of thought, and since it’s time to pick up Ravi, who, like me, enjoys being part of the welcome wagon that greets Uncle David at the airport, I’m anticipating an entertaining yet relaxing weekend while watching four year old Ravi’s active imagination directing her beloved uncle to happily take on roles that are usually designated as mine—LOL!





Friday, June 14, 2019

CORNY! CORNY! CORNY!

As one insight ignites the next
It’s come clear that over most of my life
I’ve given most everyone the benefit of the doubt
In recent years it’s also come clear as to
Whom had not offered that same depth of
Generosity of spirit to me
And guess what came clear after that?
When considering the small circle of extended fam and
Friends who’d felt need to dump darkly focused
Judgments upon my head, I was surprised to
See a certain someone holding hands much too
Often with that narrow minded group?  Namely—Me!
Thank goodness for EMDR therapy, which, having opened
My eyes to blind spots that kept me in Denialand
Over long, expanded my narrow point of view to
Grasp hold of opportunities to Alamand left, change
Partners and Dosey Doe away from that narrow minded circle in
Favor of dancing with folks who know the value of
 Loving each other, vulnerabilities and all—unconditionally!
As to enjoying the person I’m choosing to spend
One-on-one time with more than anyone else while awaiting
Test results, well, that person is me—because
I’ve worked to make certain not to subconsciously harbor
Negatively focused attitudes that would heighten my sense of
Frustration—Frustration about what, you ask?
About whatever keeps my mind busy—for instance
I’ll not chastise myself about the fact that everything
Stored inside my walk in closet as well as in that junk drawer has
Clearly gotten way out of hand, so rather than
Attacking that clutter with a vengeance, I’ve been laughing at
Myself for having become the pack rat that Will declares me
To be, and now that my closet and that junk drawer are
Reorganized—I’ll redirect my focus toward enjoying
The weekend ahead—David is flying in for
Father’s Day, and whenever he’s in town
Ravi pretty much lives at Gramma’s house, and somehow
The more my spirit feels reason to laugh, the less
My headache pounds against my frontal lobe like a Tom Tom on
The warpath intent upon scalping my peace of mind ...
Lucky me to ‘feel myself’ surrounded by loved ones enjoying
Good times, directly ahead, thus naturally buoying
My emotional balance, which might otherwise take
A sudden downward dive during worrisome times  ...
In short, imagine me anticipating a good time that’s
Bound to turn reality’s tom tom into a delectable bon bon that’s
Easily swallowed at least for the next few days—
Corny!  Corny!  Corny!

My daily horoscope:
You have stories to tell
Information to impart and
Ways to make people laugh
Still, you hold back

Gotta love it when
The Universal Spirit
Channels where you’re at—right?
Hmmm—perhaps tomorrow’s
Horoscope will channel MRI results

Gotta run—
Doorbell just announced
Steven’s arrival to watch basketball with Will
While Ravi directs her number one sidekick to
Do whatever number one sidekicks do best—
Role play whatever part that the best bud of
An imaginative four year old charmer
Suggests is mine—generally
Ravi is Simba and I’m Uncle Scar—Roooar!
Or I’m the villain to whatever princess is in need
Of escaping from captivity
The only thing that never changes is
The fact that Ravi plays the super star!
LOL!

Thursday, June 13, 2019

PATIENCE IS STRUGGLING TO SUBDUE IMPATIENCE

Other than spending time with family and friends and
Catching up with errands, this has been
A quiet-wait-and-see week for me
Blood test taken Friday (Ravi, who came along, said:
Don’t worry, Gramma, I’ll hold your hand and
You’ll be brave). So cute!
Yesterday, I had an MRI of my brain, and
Was brave on my own—well, not really as
Will accompanied me—So now, outwardly
I’m patiently awaiting results—Ha!
Deeper truth suggests impatience is naturally awaiting
A thumbs up or thumbs down from the radiologist
And while I’m in this holding pattern, my brain wants to do
Little more than spend time with family and friends—
Clean a closet and reorganize a junk drawer—
Why?  Because love soothes the soul and reorganizing
Closets and drawers offers the mind a sense of control
So hopefully, today’s intuitive train of thought offers
You sound reason to understand why Annie and Joseph
Will remain lip locked on center stage for
A bit longer than I’d originally planned ...

Sunday, June 9, 2019

FROM HENRY AND WILLIAM JAMES TO DR. SEUSS ...

So here’s the thing
When it comes to LIFE
It’s always something
For example, we tend to think that something
Flies in from out of the blue, disrupting
Our lives, when deeper truth suggests that
Everything you and I experience—
Planned or unplanned—is an integral part of life
Because, whether we like it or not, life has
Two sides—which is why our choice of attitude
Matters as much as the size of our stash of
Logical problem-solving techniques whenever
Leadership is in need of coping well with an angst provoking
Situation by maintaining a well balanced sense of
Mental clarity while others are screaming the sky is falling
Needless to say, today’s train of thought is
Based upon my need to cope well with not knowing
What’s changing inside my frontal lobe, and though
I feel as if something flew in from out of the blue
It’s highly possible that the unwelcome presence of
Physiological changes may have been brewing for
Quite some time before daily headaches (which may or
May not be related) began to drum up
My conscious level of concern—either way
Here’s how I want to spend most of my time (unless
I’m enjoying my kids and grandkids):  I want to relate
As many insight-laden stories as possible in hopes of
Inspiring you to grow ever more aware of need to
Make less mistakes in judgment than was true of me when
My decisions were based in unidentified insecurities denied by
The conscious portion of my mind as mine until
Hindsight, pairing up with my power of intuitive thought
Began to ignite flashes of insight that spotlighted
Forgotten memories, which once restored, created
Bigger pictures to which I’d been blind when
My mindsets had been too narrow (due to
Egocentricity) to see where my personal perspective had
Been in need of expansion so as to brighten
My spirit’s awareness of opportunity knocking at
My front door in hopes of enticing my dark side to
Experience sound reason to lighten up my limited capacity to
See myself as worthy of accepting love as freely as
I’d generously passed it around—In short
Upon setting out on this storytelling adventure, several
Years back, I'd had no conscious intention of devoting
So much of my time online to philosophizing as to why
Love and life tend to grow so classically complex—
In fact, my perceptions concerning
The effects of positive vs negative focus evolved
Resultant of freeing my intuitive powers (by way of
Writing) to speak through me as if I had become
‘The unexpected something that flew into
Your life from out of the blue’ so as to offer you
Flashes of insight that may serve to ignite
Your intuitive powers to illuminate sound reason to
Challenge your processor to identity your narrow points of
View, which, upon expansion, will heighten your
Patience with your vulnerabilities, and with patience
Intact, your think tank will seriously consider the wisdom
Inherent in absorbing positively focused solution seeking
Methods that resolve conflicts with intelligence and
Kindness thus creating positive changes in your
Perception concerning the betterment of
Your self worth resulting in improving your sense of
Self respect, which serves to expand your heart’s
Capacity to love and respect others, vulnerabilities and all—and
Once compassion provides for mutual respect, all around
Your personal and professional relationships will improve as
Have mine, based in your heartfelt capacity to feel more worthy of
Love, admiration and respect than had felt possible when
Judgmental attitudes had limited love from flowing
Freely, back and forth —and knowing that changes concerning
Self image prove challenging, I continue to muster
The patience necessary to retrain my mind’s eye to
Reconsiderreprioritize snd reprocess the validity of
My long range goals, one of which shifts my myopic
Focus less upon my goodness more upon the importance of
My self respectful, guilt free happiness, and now that
Today’s train of intuitive thought has spoken clearly to me
I hope to motivate the philosopher (who, having taken up
Permanent residence inside my head, tends to usurp
Control over my think tank) to stop hogging center stage, so
We can welcome back the storyteller whose eagerness to
Offer up strings of insight in an enjoyable format will
Surely entice my friends to naturally absorb love lessons, which
Served to improve my relationships immeasurably—and
Though that has been my intention, all along, each time
One thing or another flies in from out of the blue, I find
My thought processor swept into a Dr. Seuss tale as was
True of the children we met in THE CAT IN THE HAT, who
Did little more than sit on stools awaiting their mother’s
Return until The Cool Cat walked in their front door with
Opportunity in hand as though to introduce
The world at large to the natural invasion of
Mayhem personified as —Thing One and Thing Two ...
(When Barry and Steven were small, I’d felt need to hide
THE CAT IN THE HAT from time to time or lose my mind—
That's how much my boys loved Seuss’s tale of a top hatted cat
Tossing mayhem around as if it’s a salad nourishing
The active minds of a pair of well behaved children—I mean
My boys begged me to read that singsong storybook (rejected
By publishers 26 times) at bedtime EVERY SINGLE NIGHT as if
THEY 'knew' that Dr. Seuss was offering parents and and small fry
Sound reason to accept this fact of life:  Real life is is not always about
Following black and white rules of social decorum—in fact
Life is meant to be silly, messy, shocking, hysterical, sublime and
In the end, all's well that cleans up well—and now that
I get the technicolored methodology behind Suess's
GREEN EGGS AND HAM madness—you'll never
See me feeling need to save my sanity by hiding
THE CAT IN THE HAT from the free spirited
Imaginations of the younger generation, ever again!
As to freeing my story teller to reclaim
Center stage for longer than a day or two—let’s remember that
Change takes time, so with that thought in mind, let’s plug
Our think tanks into positive focus and hope for the best!

Thursday, June 6, 2019

ONCE AGAIN—ONE AWARENESS LEADS TO ANOTHER ...

Age is not just a number
Age is reality staring me in the face
Not every day but at those times when
My intelligence can’t take refuge from
Deeper truth by diving behind
My wall of denial—
For instance—Steven’s hair remains unchanged; however
Barry’s and David’s beards are salt and peppered
Not that they’ve grown beards—but as they
Prefer the scruffy rather than clean shaven look
I can’t deny the black and white fact of
My sons being middle aged—And having
Celebrated Barry’s fiftieth birthday
How can I be fifty five?
Truthfully, I did not feel a twenty-five year
Gap separating my age from that of
The birthday boy on the night we all
Partied down—however, Zombie-land
Certainly swallowed Cinderella up, after the ball—no
Glass slipper left behind—and several days after
Boogying with my three sons, their social crowd and Will
My mental awareness is still processing through
An attitudinal shift, suggesting my mindset transitioning
Toward feeling readied to boogie on down to a place of
Repose inside my head where my actual age has been
Lying in wait, not to attack my self image but to
Welcome me home in a manner that had never felt
Natural before Barry’s costumed birthday blast into
The past offered me sound reason to open my eyes to
Personal need to fully accept this fact of life:
Though denial chose to accompany me to the party, after that
Night, my spirit’s younger than springtime attitude gained
The wisdom to reconcile peaceably with my intuitive sense of
Intelligence and while waltzing together down memory lane
This dynamic duo met up with reality awaiting patiently to
Enjoy a group hug along with the humbleness that requires
Just a dab of courage to take a peaceful leap of faith toward
Change in how ‘I see myself’ approaching the immediate
Future feeling all will be well concerning my mental capacity to
Continue to age gracefully by graciously balancing
The youthful view that others say they see when looking at me with
My spirit of generosity, which can be seen embracing
My whole self as I know myself to be, through and through
Whew!😎
On second thought—maybe I can't know my whole self
Through and through—I mean, there's some thing existing
Inside my head that in no way did I invite to invade my peace of mind ...