nature

Outside Thoughts 7/2/22

The sound of bugs chirping in the trees

Carried to my ears by the soft summer breeze

I silence my music to hear nature’s tune

As I sit on my porch in the warm sun at noon

A feather lost from a grackle’s tail

Floats to my feet as above the bird sails

I question how well the feather could glide

Were I to dip it in ink on the pointy side

Dragging my hand along an empty page

Hoping to rid my thoughts of their skull cage

My mind wanders far, as my next trip grows near

I dream of travel, but for once I’m happy here

Of course my journey will continue across the globe

Changing cities as often as I change my wardrobe

Yet days like today,

Put peace in my heart

The weather is perfect

Earth is a work of art

At times like these, I feel inspired

Normally I’m lazy, but right now I’m not tired

My desire to create occludes my longing for sleep

My pillow lies empty as to paper my words seep

Jackson, WY summer days
Journal entry

Emerging Poets 2019~Published!

Today “Mississippi’s Best Emerging Poets 2019: An Anthology” was published by Z Publishing. My poem is first in the Inspiration section! 🙂 Please check it out. If you would like to purchase a copy, please use my referral link below so that I receive credit. I greatly appreciate it! Thank you as always! ❤

https://www.zpublishinghouse.com/?rfsn=3472631.063105

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Hem of God’s Garment

I once heard that the sun rays peeking through the clouds was the hem of God’s garment. I thought “Wow! That’s incredible. If I could just reach up & touch it I would be healed, saved from my sinful lifestyle.” It took me a long time to realize that I didn’t have to reach up to touch it, missing it. As the sun rays kiss the earth so God’s love extends down to rescue those on the ground.

It’s not a matter of distance, or not being able to reach. It’s about being able to get around the clouds of evil temptation. Temptation will try to block you out, prevent you from seeing the light. But, he always has access to you, no matter how far away from him you may stray. You may feel yourself sinking into the earth. He can reach from the heavens even into the pits of Hell. He created the earth, why wouldn’t he have access to it & all the beings on it? Just as positivity gives life, presiding above negativity, which poisons & buries the soul; so Heaven surrounds us & rises up above while Hell is stationed beneath us. If we invite him, God is within us. He warms us like the sun warms a cat basking in a windowsill.

From a nonreligious perspective, positivity is always there. Clouds of negativity & negative people will try to block it from you. You can’t let them win. You have to rise above those clouds to seek the positivity beyond. Chase the rays where they are touching the ground, they can lead you to more sunshine or positivity & give you a direct path to a higher perspective. ❤

Simplify. Prioritize. Commit!

I have been coming across a lot of information lately on how to be more productive & work towards your dreams. I have decided to consolidate my thoughts on that which I find most important & share these tips, as well as one of my own, with you. It is not uncommon to see articles that list “10 traits of successful people” & other such similarities. While I’m sure these articles hold validity, I have narrowed down all of my research to 3 key components I believe must be implemented in order to achieve proper elevation of yourself towards your dreams. 

Simplify. Prioritize. Commit. 

Pretty basic right? After all, 3 things is easier to remember & work on than 10 right? So let me quickly elaborate on each of those topics.

Simplify:

The less trivial decisions you have to make, the more you can focus on the important stuff. From downsizing your wardrobe to meal prepping for the week, you can make small changes to simplify your life. This leaves you more brain cells to focus on bigger decisions. 

Prioritize:

Sit down & write out personal goals. Get rich quick schemes seem to be quite popular these days, but the actuality is that the likelihood of you acquiring your desired wealth over night is entirely unrealistic. It is important to set more attainable goals to work towards. Your goals can grow & change over time as you do. Make a budget, not just for your finances, but more importantly, your time. Write out a schedule, blocking off time for the highest priorities first. Note: you are more likely to get things done earlier in the day before you are worn out & normal daily distractions come into play. 

Commit:

This is the most self explanatory, yet also most difficult in my opinion. Figuring out the steps you need to take to get to where you want to be is often the easy part when compared to living out what is required to get you there. It is easy to say you are going to go to the gym an hour a day, or schedule a time in your planner to brainstorm marketing ideas for your new business. But actually acting out these tasks is harder to follow through with than just making a mental note to complete them. So, make it a priority to commit to your schedule & any goals you set! 

The last piece of advice I will leave you with today comes from me personally. It is something I have found beneficial over the years. Try listening to pure classical or acoustic (but no lyrics) music. Go out into nature, away from street noise, & breathe some fresh air while listening to the sounds of nature. These things help clear the mind & create a sense of peace. We often don’t realize it, but what we hear has a huge impact on us! If everything entering our ears is vulgar or profane, we will have a much different mindset that is not conducive to productivity.

So I challenge you today to create the life you believe is worth living. Set goals, works towards them, & you will find yourself living out your dreams. They will become your new reality. Don’t put off getting started, you never know how much time you have left. Besides, the longer you wait to get started, the longer it will be until you achieve your dreams. So get ready, set, go! ❤

“Living for Each Other is the Rule of Nature”

20180420_152909Today I struggled with picking a topic to write on as I was scrolling through memes & quotes I have saved over time. Many caught my eye & tugged at my heartstrings, longing to be elaborated on. But for some reason I decided to go with this quote:

“Nothing in nature lives for itself. 

Rivers don’t drink their own water.

Trees don’t eat their own fruit.

The sun doesn’t shine for itself.

A flower’s fragrance is not for itself.

Living for each other is the rule of nature.”

It is often the ambition of people to satisfy their own wants & needs. This is, as many things, inherent human nature. But, what gratification truly comes from this? Sure, it is easy to be selfish, & we know ourselves better than anyone else, so we know how to get what we want. But, how long does this feeling last? Sometimes we focus so much on getting what we want we waste precious time that could be better spent focused on others. How simple is it to listen to someone, to ask how their day is going, or to simply spread a smile. I have talked many times about how contagious a smile can be. I truly believe this to be a fact. Bringing joy to someone else will only bounce off them & reflect back to you making you happy too. We believe we know what is best for us so we venture out to find it, not realizing how much energy is wasted trying to achieve ultimate perfection, by way of accomplishing goals, purchasing material goods, or seeking life’s highs. Again, as I have discussed before, we will never attain our idea of perfection. Once we achieve or posses one thing we wanted, we will immediately seek more. It is a never ending, vicious cycle. Live selflessly & you will find more peace than when you work only to gratify yourself. 

As Mufasa once said, “we are all connected in the great circle of life.” Everyone has something to contribute. There are farmers who provide the food, seamstresses & tailors who clothe us, performers who entertain us, government officials who work to organize chaos, military members who strive to protect us & our freedoms, construction workers who provide us shelter, & the list goes on. Each person has a role & when we accept that & become grateful for our differences, we learn to respect one another. You too have a gift, & someone somewhere is in need of what you provide. So do not hoard what you have to offer, share it with the world. The planet, the humans, animals, environment. You couldn’t survive without the sacrifice of someone else, so give back in any way you can & you will be granted a place in which you thrive. It is easier to be satisfied when we are putting out what we already have rather than trying to force ourselves to gain power, which is not rightly ours. Be who you are & let that be enough. Your presence is needed, is desired, & will not go unnoticed. Do not fear missing out or feeling under appreciated. Know that you are all this world needs to go round. 

I will sum all this up with a repost of a poem I wrote about how contagious positivity is. “Positivity is a virus… Be positive, spread your light.” It is as simple as that. Your smile may be for someone else in the moment, but they will pass it on & it will continue to go around until it eventually returns to you. Live for others & so they shall live for you. We all need each other. ❤

“Positivity is a virus

You can easily transmit

It’s highly contagious

Don’t fear spreading it

You infect one life

& so they affect others

Thus a ripple begins

Which this world, it smothers

Waves traveling forward

Across oceans, across land

From one soul to the next

’Til together we all stand

Sick with this virus

Mutated into those

Who love one another

Whose hearts have been transposed

Each frozen thought thawed

Every mind opened wide

So that we can all see

The beauty held inside

There will be no more heartache

No tears shed from wet eyes

No pain, only joy

Sunshine & butterflies

Smiles on every face

Arms open wide

Diversity embraced

Conflicts set aside

Who knows how far

Your ripple will go?

The world is a sphere

So in circles it flows

Disease is the answer

Like zombies we unite

Don’t cower in the darkness

Be positive, spread your light” ~Kimily Trehern