Tag Archives: Poems

for the adventure of being alive

The Invitation

By Oriah Mountain Dreamer

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It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for,
And if you dare to dream of meeting
Your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
For love, for your dream,
For the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon.
I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow,
If you have been opened by life’s betrayals,
Or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain,
Mine or your own,
Without moving
To hide it or fade it or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy,
Mine or your own,
If you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
Without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic,
or to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me is true.
I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself,
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul.
I want to know if you can be faithless and therefore be trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see beauty
Even when it is not pretty every day,
And if you can source your life
From its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure,
Yours and mine,
And still stand on the edge of a lake and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes!”

It doesn’t interest me to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair,
Weary and bruised to the bone,
And do what needs to be done for the children.

It doesn’t interest me who you are, how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
In the center of the fire with me
And not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you
From the inside
When all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone
With yourself,
And if you truly like the company you keep
In the empty moments.

If I Knew You & You Knew Me

Another of the many inspirational poems

and assorted writings that inspire me. Here’s a short but sweet one from

the collection of favourites ….

This one is dedicated to the country, in view of the current events and controversies.

If I Knew You & You Knew Me

By Nixon Waterman

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If I knew you and you knew me,

If both of us could clearly see,

And with an inner sight divine,

The meaning of your heart and mine,

I’m sure that we would differ less,

And clasp our hands in friendliness;

Our thoughts would pleasantly agree,

If I knew you and you knew me.

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.

.

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I know a lot of people who have been very upset over the whole Allah controversy.

It’s a lot of negativity now going around, feeding off each other.

As a person who has to observe and read everything, sometimes I get very troubled

and distressed myself. But I refuse to add to the negativity.

I wouldn’t be able to take it.

Sometimes things can get overwhelming if you let it get to you.

How has this incident affected others I wonder.

So a little bit of laughs here, a little bit of light there …  a lovely poem or

a heartwarming story or two … they help to make things a whole lot better.

Have a good remaining week folks.

xo

To remember …

I like the way life tends to remind you certain things,

at certain times. As it always does, well in my life anyway.

After these few days of …

getting over jetlag,

and then getting sleep deprived again thanks to a certain

Champagne-chugger in New York, …

to getting back into work mode again (and happily so) ..

to worrying about things like money and bookings and bills …

and to start making plans and dates with loved ones and friends ..

ALL OVER AGAIN …

 

 

My friend Debs, who I used to work with and now work with again (!),

today ever so kindly gave me a poster she knew I’d appreciate.

It’s this one below, … and it’s huge!

obey-aung-san-suu-kyi-freedom-to-lead

I love it.  Thank you Debs! xo

I guess it’s one of those little reminders again that tell you

‘oi. stop being so memememememe me me me me okay.’

And just to remember the things that are softer,

smaller,

more quiet,

more true,

more real.

Like what Daw Suu Kyi means to me, I guess.

Kinda slaps you in the face to show you how lucky you

are not to be in the same freaking compound for 14 years.

 

 

In this business, and I guess in many other fields,

it’s so so easy to get all puffed up. You get to talk

to big time politicians, you can get VIP treatment, you

can get bee’s-knees praise for your work, you can get sudden

a sudden wave of flattery from people who used to judge you,

you could get tantalising offers … and then it’s so easy to forget

that

you could so easily be bantai-ed kao kao,  scolded for a crappy piece,

scolding yourself for a crappy piece, be getting ignored by

both politicians and other journos, getting reminded

that no one reads you at all …

You know, these kinds of things.

And so you realise, that these things are fleeting,

and that all you have is strength and confidence in yourself

that you will always try to be the same.

And not have your head puffed up and unable to fit through

the exit.

In that spirit,

I was supposed to put this up ages ago due to a request from

kudapuff aka reza for similarly inspiring poems and all, so

I guess this is a good a time as any.

 

 

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IF

 

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or, being hated, don’t give way to hating,

And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;

If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with triumph and disaster

And treat those two imposters just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,

And stoop and build ‘em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on”;

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with kings – nor lose the common touch;

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run -

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,

And – which is more – you’ll be a Man my son!

–  Rudyard Kipling, written in 1896


 

 

So many good lines, and sometimes my favourites change,

but for now, for obvious reasons (to me at least),

the lines below do it for me.

If you can meet with triumph and disaster

And treat those two imposters just the same

 

 

 

It’s one of those never-gets-old poems. Swoon.

…

Wonder what your favourites are based on the state of your

life at the moment.

IMG_1605

This was the day we drove from Arizona to Texas, stopping by

a Loves gas station and eating our dinner (Subs) for the day.

It was a mellow, mellow day.

xo