You fall into periods of weakness,
it’s just the way things are.
So fret not because you think,
your jealousy is to be ashamed of.

We’re conditioned to admire,
and we’re conditioned to imitate.
But before admiring and imitating,
first we become jealous.

But fret not if your jealousy is strong,
it’s normal and justified.
Some people have more than us,
that’s just how life is.

Next time you’re jealous, fret not.
But each time jealousy grips you,
shake it off and focus on things,
that make your own rays sunnier, brighter.

But what I notice is your ready smile,
the naughty eyes are brighter than ever.
And your kind words move me,
what happened when you went away?

You’ve changed, yet you’re the same person,
except this time you tingle.
You vibrate and you attract,
something about you I can’t fathom.

But if you’re happy, I’m happy.
Thanks to that trip you’re alive,
you radiate with confidence.
The old you is intact.

I should take the same trip,
and seek what you sought,
you’re remarkable and I want so much,
to have that same inner glow.

It’s a symptom,
of a world,
that fragments your face,
into masks that cannot fit.

The healing way forward,
is not to “de-stress”
and find a “no stress” mask,
to fit beside the others.

The way out is through…
…only these:
stillness and silence.

Rediscover stillness and silence,
and discover the you that…
…longs to experience,
the stress-less life,
that you were born to live.

And so I climbed,
one rung at a time,
sometimes slowly,
sometimes swift.

“Can’t talk now!” I’d usually say,
“gotta climb!”
Not sure if they heard me,
or understood a word.

No time to stop and chat,
or explain my journey.
I’d do that when I reached the top;
easier to see from up there.

But they never told me,
these Ladder-Makers,
that there is no “up there”
because these ladders don’t go up.

They go sideways!
Away from myself:
the me that used to dream and dance,
and care and chat, and be still.
And love.

I jumped off my ladder a little while ago.
I thought the fall would kill me,
but, strangely,
the ladder was only ever a few feet off the ground.

No broken bones.
No scrapes.
Not even a bruise!
Is that hilarious or what?

I hear my heart beat,
it beats stronger with guilt gone.

My eyes face heaven,
guilt has left me distraught, dismayed,
but I am healing…guilt is slowly fading.

I cannot please everyone,
I have my own battles to fight,
I cannot help you without helping myself,
let me overcome guilt and be strong again.

My conscience is clear,
what more can I ask?
My guilt shall not destroy my will.

A clean slate.
A fresh start.
An empty page.
An open heart.

Each day,
is a chance,
to live anew,
free from the chains,
of a yesterday that never really was,
and a tomorrow that never really comes.

Each day,
when your eyes open,
when you feel your breath,
when you awake,
remember this:

each of your days,
your world is born,
a clean slate,
a fresh start,
an empty page,
an open heart.

Celebrate each day,
because there’s only one day in your entire life,
and it’s TODAY.

I’ve read of the emptiness of my
prayer-less days,and how things
get darkest before the dawn.

I’ve read of compassion,
of forgiveness,
of gratitude,
of love.

I’ve read of surrender,
of presence,
of peace,
of God.

I’ve read of everything.
Over, and over, and over again.

My heart is full of ink, my mind of dusty words,
(though mostly good words, you must agree).

Today, though,
I’ll try something new.

Just for today.
Instead of reading of this or that,
I’ll just be.

Just for today.
(And maybe tomorrow, too?)

Yet despite this fact,
you continue to feel,
that you are merely a body,
wrapped in skin,
with an expiry date.

You are boundless energy,
simply waiting to be activated.
Not by an event or a circumstance,
or a lucky break.

YOU are the event.
YOU are the circumstance.
YOU are the lucky break.

You are boundless energy,
waiting to take form.
Go within,
find the spark,
and experience the awe of your true power.