How will I spend this day?

I wrote this on a windy Sunday when I woke up feeling unwell and low. It was my attempt at finding the good on a challenging day, a day when I could easily feel preoccupied by pain and my limitations. On those days time can slip past me in a restless haze, but not if I catch the moments and remember to read good things, and hear from those who inspire me. Then the day passes well, and my heart feels nourished.

Minutes ticking by, lost in thought,
caught in anxiety, 
confusion, 
distraction.

Unattended, that's where the minutes go.
But there's another way, 
a way to catch them, and plant them, 
like seeds. 

Minutes held with care 
offered in prayer, 
and spent gathering wisdom.

Then, minutes become steps on the path 
of this lost soul walking home.

A self-inflicted darkness

I’ve been thinking and reading about perspective. How we affect our outlook and mental wellbeing by what we zoom in on. Where we invest our attention. And, in listening to a class from a respected monk, I realised that I have sometimes cast myself into darkness by zooming in on hurts and fears.

When my perspective is zoomed out, big picture thinking, my mind is steady and nourished. I can work with it instead of feeling oppressed by it.

I have much work to do, but I’m up for the challenge. This little poem helped me find clarity and embrace a healthy perspective, and it feels good timing to share it close to an eclipse.

Coins before my eyes

covering the sun

the irony of looking closely at little things

these problems made big

that block the light I need to see.