
Things are rarely
what you think
they pretend to be.
Do not mistake
a perception
for reality.
Surviving and thriving
are two different things.
Entirely.
only the tidbits
We have no one to blame but ourselves. Well myself actually, it was my idea. My plan to avert the jungle outside for a walk indoors. My plan to work out every day without the excuse of weather to fall back on. My grand plan to fight resistance and get serious about fitness. It was expensive, but it would be worth it. We work hard, we deserve it. So we combined our research efforts, split the costs, and ordered it.
It arrived on a Saturday and came to life on a Monday via the rigorous toil and dedication of my faithful man mate, David. In its containment it did look large, once built however, it became huge. This beast of a machine is a mammoth in our tiny home. It is a giant commanding our attention. Large with life and a console that looks like a replica of something from Star Trek, this machine is dominant.
All I wanted was a defense mechanism against common resistance. A simple way to make progress and sustain it, instead I got a war machine. Why would you simply ignore resistance when you can destroy it? In the shadow of this mighty dinosaur, there are no excuses, you have to walk, you have to run, and you have to obey it.
Throughout my speckled and turbulent history with body confidence and self improvement, I’ve tried various methods to stay on course and motivated. There have been diets, twisted ankles, and gurus along the path but time and truth changed my approach. A little internal deep dive and I realized that progress masked as punishment is an effective illusion and the size of it counts. The enormity of this new Overlord in our little life is as humorous as it is intimidating and for the first time ever I have no doubt that it will all work out.
Every single day.
Do not live on the fringes
of your fancy outside life.
Nothing of substance happens there.
It’s just a show.
Look within and hold truth tight.
Life takes shape unseen
deep down
in the soul.
When the mood strikes she can be anything.
A rigged explosion of love, fury, envy, and greed.
Ready for sacrifice in the shadow of Kali.
Be wary young Bird, she will tell you true.
The Ego devours a heart on the hunt
it can destroy you.
Kali is walking in your stead.
A bull without horns
can still see red.
To be continued…
I make these lists year by year of the lessons I’ve learned and the truths that I’ve found. I make them in order to track my age and forge an alliance with myself. This little annual inventory is taken from a year of scribbling my thoughts down:
Note: My notes are personal truths. A collection of the reminders I write to myself and my Bird.
All of these old mishaps,
unlocked doors with a chain of keys.
Rotted out to retire,
made to forget.
Shame’s trusted companion
will always be regret.
The dung twig sprouts
and the spotted Owl sings.
There is joy to be had
in old beginnings.
Seven crows, seven poles
digging in an open hole.
Into the red mud,
down through
the centuries recounting.
This is my final turn
to begin again.
Drenched in the red
of this sweet Earth.
A new life planted in the dirt.
Seven rows for seven new souls,
the last of the firsts.
There are quite a few options, promises are being made.
Charlatans using words like drunk weapons,
fueled with guilt, riding the rage.
If you knock down a pole, the light will flicker below.
Hour-by-hour, the power will fade.
Listen to its hum of rebellion,
and take back your night.
Fight for your mother, fight for her plight.
Fear mongers in the dark,
flock to the light.