Category Archives: enjoying life

Before the storm – Romantic Monday

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before-the-storm-logo

Thunder clouds in the distance

the promise of a storm to come

his touch is firm on my flesh

the earth is waiting to succumb

to the reign of terror in the sky

the promise of a fury unleashed

the air is electric, feelings are charged

mother nature is in control of the beast

blue sky falls into the abyss

the ceiling of night turns to gray

energy ignites with the coming storm

feelings, for now, are at bay

his grip remains strong on my skin

his eyes search for the sign

thunder crashes, lightning explodes

the moods begin to align

I turn to him under mottled clouds

the earth opens its spring

water cascades over exposed flesh

the symphony of love starts to sing

his touch brings more power

than the lightning casts from the sky

bodies churn in the shower of rain

under the cover of nigh

before the storm the feeling lived

but now its fury is unleashed

hands roam, bodies entwine

the power of nature is released

his body is mine, and mine is his

the storm can not debate

 the true love felt under stormy skies

the honesty of love will not wait

~

Romantic Monday seems to inspire the poet in me.   I took the subject line literally and the storm seemed to bring something out in me.  Thanks Edward Hotspur!

What a tangled web we weave

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I have always been a big fan of telling the truth.  I’m not going to start with the lies now and say I haven’t told my share of the little white variety, but telling the truth is a much simpler way to ride the tracks of life.  It keeps our journey going in one direction with no sudden derailment or unexpected change in our course.

The art of deceit really is that, an art form.  It takes an organized mind to weave the web of lies and keep track of those lies.  Deceit has a way of exponentially evolving into more lies and the teller of those fallacies must internally document each line of betrayal in order to follow their own fibs.  It takes a somewhat composed mentality to follow the flowchart of untruths.

A web is conventionally described as something intricately contrived, something that will ensnare or entangle.  If only the teller of all the falsities realized that the victim of their woven trap was going to be themselves in the end.  It takes a cunning mind to begin weaving that web and follow each string that they have strung within it, but it takes an absolute genius to conform to all of the strings of lies within their web and remember which lie each string represents.

There does come a point when that continuous flow of distortion will fracture.  It takes one proverbial fly in the ointment, or in this case the web, and all of the falsehoods spectacularly disintegrate and split into a million loose ribbons of fiction.  If you sort through the wreckage, there is not one shred of truth to be found within that mangled mass of treachery.  Deception becomes a labyrinth with no possible escape.

Telling the truth will ultimately lead you to the most authentic experience you could have.  Sure, lies can give you the immediate escape you seek, but the truth has a way of rearing its ugly head when you least expect it.  It brings stark reality back into the fold and as the web is dismantled, it becomes a collection of meaningless strings.

Living an authentic life has more of a purpose than a life shadowed with doubt and deception.  You can protect yourself with layers of hypocrisy for only so long before people start to see the true core of your being.  They will systematically clip those strings you have so cleverly woven and expose the person that you really are.

You can only have legitimate relationships by being your true self.   If you begin any relationship with dishonesty, it will never be a true relationship.  Smoke and mirrors can only last until the smoke dissipates and you are left staring at your stark reality.  Don’t let that reflection be shrouded with the web of your lies.

Impossible is two letters too long

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I’ve never been one to shy away from a challenge.   I have lived under the premise that if it’s worth having, it’s worth fighting for, and that has served me well.  Like removing the word “can’t” from my vocabulary, I also try never to utter the word “impossible”.

When my dad was still with us, not a day went by that he didn’t mention the phrase – where there’s a will, there’s a way – and I adopted that idiom rather quickly.  I learned my survival skills and my desire to succeed by heeding the wisdom of that small string of words.  By keeping that will fed and nourished, the two letters that may have impeded the possible slowly fall into the alphabet once again and all things are attainable.

alphabet

(image credit: 123freevectors.com)

When I begin any new task, the thought never crosses my mind that I will fail at that particular undertaking.  The final product may not be the desired result, but a reasonable facsimile is still an encouraging beginning.  I dive headfirst into the endeavor and face the dragon head on because the reward comes from trying.  Failure can only come from not attempting the initial project.

All things are possible and the only time I will use the letters “I” and “M” are to say I’m going to try my best!

Here’s to you Ms. Dickinson

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The Daily Prompt got me again….POW, right in the kisser.  Here’s what they want: National Poetry Writing Month is nearly at an end. To celebrate it, try your hand at some verse.

~

Air flows in circular patterns,

over the crushed brown grass.

Blades slowly stretch from the earth,

as Spring has finally come to pass.

Trees blossom and new life grows,

reaching from outstretched limbs.

Birds crest on upward drafts,

they are the promise of summer’s warm winds.

The chill of the night air recedes,

giving way to the heat of the sun.

Mother Nature has blessed us,

Her beauty is not to be outdone.

My Muskoka, my words….in print!!

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After much anticipation (and many chewed fingernails) the piece of writing that represents my love for the place I call home has been put into publication.  Unfortunately, it does not link to the article without temporarily registering for the e-version of the magazine which means submitting an email address and phone number, but it is available online with that information.

I understand if you are leery of subscribing and the article will undoubtedly be available more readily after the next addition is out, but if you want to see the published piece you can follow the link here.  Follow down the toolbar and click on eEdition. I’m on page 96.

magazine

(and for the first time in my life, I don’t hate my picture!!)

Play it again, Sam

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The Daily Prompt is this: Tell us about a book you can read again and again without getting bored — what is it that speaks to you?

I am slightly obsessed when it comes to Dean Koontz.  I have read all of his books at least once, most likely twice.  He wrote a book in 2003 called Watchers that detailed the escape of two laboratory animals that had an indescribable connection to each other.  One of the experimental animals was a horrendously disfigured failure of a creation and the other was a beautiful Golden Retriever.  Both of these genetically altered animals were blessed with the intelligence and reasoning ability of a human.  Only one was loved and doted on for his success and the other hated him for it and wanted nothing but to kill the dog.

Watchers is a strange premise for a story, but the relationship Travis has with his dog is remarkably touching.  I can honestly say that I have read it at least 10 times and it still instills the same emotion when I read it.  It was the first book I chose to read when my mom went into the hospital.

The emotion and companionship described in the book between a human and his dog pulls at my heart-strings every time I read it and it makes me hug my dog a little tighter.  I only wish she could answer my questions with scrabble tiles as well!!

Regrets, I’ve had a few

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There are always regrets in life – missed opportunities that weigh heavily on us the more we think about them.  I’ve had my share of regrets, whether those regrets have been caused by my actions or perpetrated by my inaction.  There is always a tremendous sense of “what if” at the core of our regrets and that is a force field that is better left unexplored.

I was recently presented with an opportunity that I did not want to regret not pursuing.  I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption and that exploration resulted in me giving notice at my current job and looking forward to venturing off on a new path.  I have never been unhappy at my current job but the winds of change ruffled my hair and made me think about what life would be like in a new place.  That thought was a bit intoxicating.

After weighing the regret of leaving my current job and the many co-workers I have come to think of as family against the opportunity for growth and forward movement with a new team of people, I took a deep breath and chose to follow those winds of change.  That gust of wind caught my sails and propelled me in a direction that I could never have foreseen.

It is a daunting feeling closing the chapter on a life that is so familiar and ingrained in my day-to-day life.  The people who I have come to lean and rely on will no longer be in my daily routine but I can only trust that I made the right decision for myself and know that I am following a trajectory I was meant to follow.

Life is too short to have too many regrets and this is one I did not want to have.  I’m happy to be embarking on a new journey and encountering a new set of challenges and learning experiences.  From the excitement I feel, I know I will not regret making the change and opening my life to a new realm of possibilities.

Have you ever missed an opportunity that you regret?

To my WordPress family – I embrace you all

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I received a lovely message tonight from Chasing Rabbit Holes that truly made me smile.  I feel grateful every day to have made such good friends on the WordPress site – friends who are supportive, encouraging and immensely talented.  Here is the award that I was given.  Below is a description of the award and at the bottom of this post is a list of bloggers that I call family.

wordpress-family-award

This award was initiated by Shaun (Praying for one day), who created this special award:

“This is an award for everyone who is part of the “Word Press Family” I start this award on the basis that the WordPress family has taken me in, and showed me love and a caring side only WordPress can. The way people take a second to be nice, to answer a question and not make things a competition amazes me here. I know I have been given many awards, but I wanted to leave my own legacy on here by creating my own award, as many have done before. This represents “Family” we never meet, but are there for us as family. It is my honour to start this award”

Rules:

1. Display the award logo on your blog.

2. Link back to the person who nominated you.

3. Nominate 10 others you see as having an impact on your WordPress experience and family

4. Let your 10 Family members know you have awarded them

5. That is it. Just please pick 10 people who have taken you as a friend, and spread the love

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What a lovely award and now to share it with my “family”

Sage Doyle

Dianne Gray

Guapola

Edward Hotspur

StuphBlog

Ned’s Blog

Red’s Rants and Raves

Shouts from the Abyss

Shackled and Crowned

Fish of Gold

The Mercenary Researcher

Thank you to all of you for being so supportive, especially during the tough time with my mom.  And thank you to the many others in my blogging family that keep me motivated and inspired to write and read as much as I can.  Sometimes you really do get to choose your family.  🙂

Under the cover of night – Romantic Monday

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The canopy of stars hung precariously,

while the fire licked the air.

Frogs serenaded the romantic night,

as his hand ran gently through her hair.

She turned to face him in the moonlight,

her reflection held in his eyes.

Her portrait etched in a sea of deep blue,

encircled by sparks, like fireflies.

The night air hovered around them,

warming their skin with its trace.

His grasp on her skin was electric,

 as his fingers outlined the curve of her face.

Her instinct was to move into his body,

and his reaction followed her lead.

She could feel the energy building,

his want, his desire, his need.

The beauty of the night was unequaled,

the passion they felt was intense.

The night slowly swallowed their surroundings

leaving passion to hang in suspense.

clouds

The blanket of darkness surrounded them

as the horizon fell out of sight.

His body became her protection

under the cover of the night.

~

This was written for Edward Hotspur’s Romantic Monday.

Life everlasting – Trifextra post

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He felt lost.  The charge he felt from living was altered over a century ago when fate tried to kill him for the fifth time.  Eternal life was not all it was cracked up to be.

~

Written for the Trifextra challenge.

This weekend we’re asking for exactly 33 of your own words plus the following three words:
  • charge
  • century
  • lost
So 33 of yours plus 3 of ours means that everyone will have a 36 word response this time around.