I’m not big on poems but this one struck a chord within me. It talks about all the things we do when “struggling with loss, pain, grief, change and transition.” It also talks about how releasing the need to control situations and emotions can be liberating. We often hold on when we should let go and we have those memories on speed redial. The wound never heals but what if we can just let it go “like a leaf falling from a tree?” Anyway, this poem is about letting go and learning to move on.
SHE LET GO
Without a thought or a word, she let go.
She let go of the fear, she let go of the judgments. She let go of the opinions swarming around her head. She let go of the committee of indecision within her. She let go of all the ‘right’ reasons. Wholly and completely, without hesitation or worry, she just let go…….
No one was around when it happened. There was no applause or congratulations. No one thanked her or praised her. No one noticed a thing. Like a leaf falling from a tree, she just let go.
There was no effort. There was no struggle. It wasn’t good and it wasn’t bad. It was what it was, and it is just that. In the space of letting go, she let it all be.
A small smile came over her face. A light breeze blew through her. And the sun and the moon shone forevermore.
Rev. Safire Rose
LET IT GO (whatever it is) and have an amazing day.
There is no specific time. Sometimes creativity hits when I least expect it like when I’m in the shower or doing something mundane like cleaning the kitchen or doing the laundry. My physical self is doing the ordinary but my mental self is being very productive at those times. I call it a form of moving meditation.
Some days my mind doesn’t do anything productive except to give me negative back talk! Other days, it is raring to go and just when I’m making breakfast or washing the dishes an idea hits and I think I need to get this down on paper before it disappears. Some days I do and on other days I get lazy and I let it pass. The problem is some of those ideas are doozies and I often regret not putting them down on paper to be used later. However, my mind comes up with enough ideas so one or two falling by the wayside is not going to matter much.
Coming back to your question, I am most productive when I don’t see it coming!
I run a tight ship where my household is concerned but ever since the two, Shiro and Gallahad moved in, it has been hard to keep an eye on everything. They are used to running things their own way and DO NOT like rules! The question they often ask is, “WHY?”
They’ve had their haircuts. The white one, Shiro, looks like a poodle now and the other, the grey one with the orange eyes, looks like Mufasa! We had a hard time getting him to behave so the lady did the best she could and so now he has tufts of hair sticking out in awkward places. It will grow out, I tell myself. However, every time I look at him, I want to give him an extra hug and kiss for what he went through.
Coming back to the topic at hand, I thought they had adjusted quite well to life at casa de los gatos. Think again! All was well until last night when all hell broke loose. The two decided that abiding by rules was for the birds and they declared mutiny on the bounty!
It started out as usual. They got fed, they got cleaned, and they had fresh water and food for the night. Shiro gave me this side-eyed glance which should have cued me to what was coming but I gave her a kiss on the forehead, much to Chachi’s disgust (that’s my cat) and gently placed her in her bed. I did the same for Galli but I left out “the putting him to bed” part. He’s a big guy. All was quiet as I shut the door to the bedroom and settled for the night. Chachi wanted a lovefest and he got one. We cuddled and he got lots of kisses and hugs as well.
It was the calm before the storm. Two hours later, the first inkling of what was to come happened. I heard Shiro in her toilet stirring up havoc. She loves toilets and just sitting in them is something she does on a regular basis. Only last night, she kept at it moving the litter around. It got on my nerves. I opened the door and asked what was going on.
HER: “When I got to go, I got to go!”
ME: “What’s with kicking up the litter?”
HER: “NOTHING!”
The little snort has a flat face, she’s a Persian, and an underbite that makes her look grumpy all the time. However, she is as cute as a button and knows it! I gave her one of my no-nonsense looks and shut the door behind me. Little did I know that Shiro would be the ringleader. Just minutes later, it started. I heard them running up and down the stairs, things being overturned with a loud thud and scratching and knocking at the door! We froze. Chachi looked at me and went, “I told you they are not well-behaved. I hate them!” Well, he has this love-hate relationship with the two of them. Sometimes he adores Galli, his best buddy, and at other times NOT! Shiro to a lesser extent.
Anyway, I waited to see what else they would pull and it looked like they had plenty in their arsenal. They started meowing loudly and in sync! It was back to running up and down the stairs and throwing things around. I had had enough! Opening the door cautiously, I looked outside. They were not there. I noticed that someone had overturned the cat tree and another smaller play item. I proceeded downstairs and the little white one who now seemed more like a giant rushed up to me.
HER: “I want in the bedroom! How come that little snort gets to be in your room at night? We have rights you know.”
I wanted to remind her that they were taking temporary residence here but instead kept my mouth shut. Just then, Little Mufasa showed up, his hair standing on end what was left of it anyway.
ME: “Cut it out! I’m not putting up with this, do you guys hear me?!!”
They reeled it back in whatever it was that got them riled up in the first place. They sat there looking at me meekly with destruction all around them. Food plates turned over, water bowls empty with water all over the floor and other stuff, not broke, but not where they should be.
It was time to clean up the mess. I did so quietly and the two watched me cautiously with not a meow to be heard. After cleaning up, I gave them some fresh food and water.
Galli: “It wasn’t me. Shiro started it.”
If there ever was a tattletale, this guy was it!
I told them to quiet down and went back upstairs. As I walked in, Chachi piped up. “Are you throwing them out? They deserve it!”
I ignored the little snort and got into bed. The rest of the night was peaceful and went as usual. Lord, have mercy!
I don’t really like emojis and I don’t like using them but in this fast-paced digital world of ours, it is a necessary evil. I feel that it takes away from the human touch. There is one for every emotion you want to get across and it does its work well or so it seems. Most of us take it for granted when we get one and don’t pay much attention to it. I don’t.
Recently a male friend told me that I should never send this one ❤️ to just friends or acquaintances. He said it means love and should only be sent to people you love. I disagreed but maybe he is right about me sending the wrong signal. So I have stopped doing that. The thumbs up emoji is my favorite 👍 and I like sending that when something strikes me as being particularly good. Of course, the smiley 😀 is always a good one. Other than that, I don’t use them much.
I’m all about doing it the old-fashioned way. Calling to convey thanks or to show I care. I do understand that it is not always possible when the daily grind takes over and there is not much time to do what you need to get done so the cute little emojis step in and do the work for you even if it is a lukewarm effort. Long live the emojis? Not really. I’ll put up with them just as I do with all the other stuff that the world of technology comes up with even if I have to grit my teeth and do it!
“Sundays – sleep until you’re hungry, then eat until you’re sleepy.” Unknown
I had something like that in mind when I went to bed last night. I had finished my meditation ritual and all was calm in my part of the world. Chachi, the cat, was taking it all in stride because by now he knew the human well and when she donned one of her, two sizes too big t-shirts, it meant lights out and quiet time was around the corner. It was also time to toe the line.
Chachi behaved and I had a goodnight’s sleep. I had visions of spending most of Sunday in bed having breakfast delivered in bed by my non-existent robotic chef! All the plans were laid-out in my head and I was looking forward to a peaceful Sunday.
You guessed it! Chachi, aka, Little Einstein and the Little Brat had other plans. Sundays are just like any other day so at 5:30 in the morning, he started his usual, “wake the human up” routine. This involves tapping on the head. If that doesn’t work, he had other tried and true methods in his arsenal. One that works without fail is his loud sighing right next to one ear! If that doesn’t work, one method that will have the human jumping out of bed is to fly over her head and land on the other side with a loud thud! He opted for the last method this morning and I woke up with a start but who cares! All that mattered was mission accomplished!
He did exactly that and all my best laid out plans of having a peaceful and no stress Sunday went to hell in a hand basket!
“Coffee, pajamas and no plans – that’s how I Sunday.”
I like talking about all kinds of topics. When I meet up with friends, it is about what is going on in our lives, the latest tidbits, and life in general. Nothing that needs a lot of thinking, just superficial stuff.
However, there are times when we do get into some discussions that involve deep thinking and deeper exploration. Politics and what is happening in the world right now is one such topic. It can get heated at times because opinions are a dime a dozen as they say and swaying someone to your point of view is often a hard thing to do. So I try to stay away from political issues and Trump in particular!
Dating comes up quite often. I have one friend who is on the dating circuit as I am and so we have lots to talk about. Some of it is mind-boggling and some of it shocking! I do learn a lot from her about what NOT to do when out there. We met up yesterday for breakfast and there was lots to talk about. The interesting thing is that we have both decided to take a break from going out on dates. It is time to take a breather from the no good-types out there. Where have all the good men gone? Good question. They are either married or taken!
Lastly but not least, I love talking about my Chachi. Add two more to the mix and there is lots to talk about. My life revolves around the three right now. Chachi, my sweetheart of a boy. He’s a cat but I don’t see him that way. Shiro and Galli are the two who have taken temporary residence here and they do give me lots to talk about! I share my observations with friends about them and how similar they are to humans. I’ve been told that cats are NOT HUMANS! I beg to differ. There are similarities and although not human as some may say, there is much we can learn from them. Keeping quiet and just listening is one thing! Not many humans do that well but my Chachi is a pro when it comes to listening. Perhaps, it goes in one ear and out the other but who cares! Undivided attention is what he gives me.
Those are the kind of topics I like to talk about or discuss with friends. Just ordinary stuff but it keeps me going and some days for hours on end!
Most of us are “control freaks” when it comes to controlling outcomes. I know I am. We want to take whatever comes our way, things of the unsavory nature and we want to change it or we spend time, sometimes lots of it, mulling over what we cannot control and instead of letting go or accepting it as a lost cause, we try to control the narrative.
“To find calm, let go of the need to control every outcome.” Unknown
I had a tough day yesterday and “calm” had flown the coop and was nowhere to be seen. I kept playing scenarios over and over again and no matter how many times I kept playing it over, the outcome was the same. It was done and dusted and there was nothing I could do about it but to let it go. The only thing I could do was to control my feelings and how I viewed the situation. The other thing that was staring me in the face was that I had no control over the events of the day, only in how I dealt with it. It was time to let it go and I did.
“When you release expectations, you are free to enjoy things for what they are instead of what you think they should be.” Mandy Hale
I spent most of yesterday getting angry, agitated, frustrated, and whatever else you could throw into the pot, I was ready to take it all and to run with it! Human nature is such that we love to entertain problems. Truth is, problems do show up when we least expect them and they throw us for a loop when we come face to face with them. More often than not, anger and frustration accompany problems. Not knowing how to deal with them is why they appear in succession. In my case, it is the opportunity to fall off from the path of self-discovery I was on and to VENT for all its worth! Ok, it’s alright for awhile but I see the toll it takes on my psyche and even then, I refuse to stop, hell-bent on wrecking havoc as I go along on my path of self-righteousness! The good part is, I’ve learned when to put a stop to it. It took me most of the day but when evening rolled around, I was ready to come to my senses and to look at it with a clear head.
“One of the most rewarding and important moments in life is the moment you finally find the courage to let go of what you can’t change.” marcandangel
Learning to let go of control is not easy because letting go of whatever it is means that you no longer have control over the situation. However, sometimes that is a good thing. You need to step back, view it from a distance and come up with solutions to break down the problem and to make it solvable. Yes, it takes time and it takes focus but it is better than going off the deep end as I did yesterday.
“Real strength isn’t control. It’s knowing when to let go.” Christopher Barzak
I’m not a risk-taker and I’m cautious to boot which is not good for risk taking. I have one friend who takes risks gleefully, it is what makes her life worth living, the unknown is fun for her. I, on the other hand, look at everything twice, dissect the situation to bits, and even then I step back and say no way am I doing that! Still it finds me, the aftermath of risk taking that is and not of the good variety either.
One situation comes to mind. I was in Asia and it was late at night, close to midnight I think. Someone told me that there was an easier way of getting back to where I needed to go and instead of taking a taxi, I decided to take a bus. They didn’t tell me that it would involve standing alone at a bus stop in front of a cemetery! It was dark, there was no traffic going up and down the road and it was spooky! I could hear movement behind me and I could feel the hair standing up on the back of my neck. Luckily the bus came and I got on with no problems. Was there something out there in the darkness? More specifically was it human or other-worldly? I’ll never know and I don’t want to know!
It was a risk I took and I learned my lesson to never do it again! I think that I have a good head on my shoulders and I look carefully before I jump and I have taken that proverb to heart and will continue to do so in all aspects of my life. Call it boring or whatever but it works to keep me out of trouble.
Daily writing prompt
When is the last time you took a risk? How did it work out?
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