my best and worst self

Selfies are all the rage. Everyone's doing it, maybe for different reasons. I'm guilty of it. For me a lot of time it's about documenting a moment. I take mine in good and bad times. These quick snap shots remind me later of good times had or things I would like to avoid doing or feeling again.

Here are some of my favorite good day selfies.

Life is a roller coaster. They can't all be great days. Cherish them all the same.

as i age

as i age
let me not be like tea
brewed too long
a soggy tea bag
left in cold water
too acrid to enjoy

let me not be
the source of faces cringing
and puckering
too sour for their liking

let me not be
the source of negativity
i've tried my whole life
not to be

let me not be
bitter with regrets
of things that could have been
or could have been better

let me not
hold grudges
against those who have wronged me
and let me always
seek forgiveness
from those i have wronged

let me not be
hateful
let me not be
angry
let me not be
spiteful

but until the end
let me just be
a joyful me

late night self

late nights bring surprises
and find me in my prime

pointing into night skies
admiring planets and stars
and big ol' jet airliners

tapping into the collective conscience
using the ideas and casting them back out
for other late night minds

late nights bring quiet moments
peace filled time to dance around the house
to no music
with no shoes
and barely any clothes



breathing up the thickness
of hot spring evenings
slowly evolving into summer nights

at night
i am
who i was made to be
and with a sly smile
i think of what the sleepers are missing

plenty of time to sleep
when the ideas run out
and the mind slows down
and the heart has had its fill

bustin' out

when we let the expectations of the world
pile up around us
our thick shells have to keep it all at bay

a hard firewall
keeping out reality
so we don't have to deal
or cope
or try

but, baby!
we were made to try
we can toughen our skin
without thickening our shells

baby, we were made
to fall
to fail
but most importantly
to get up
to try again

break out of that shell, softy!
bust free
from the chains of insecurity
break loose
from the bondage of fear

let the caged bird out
to finally fly

you sang with me. . . .

thanks for checking in on me
after such a long day
when it seemed the world was cold
and no one in it cared

thanks for asking how i was
after such a trying week
when it seemed like everything that could
would

thanks for making eye contact
and saying nothing at all
knowing i needed
the peace and quiet
of that moment

thanks for singing along
when the tunes were loud and happy
when the songs were sad and low
thanks for the harmonies
and melodies of love

you don't think

you think i'm frail
because you saw
my weakness once
when i was a child

you think i can't
hold my own
because you so easily
took advantage
of my innocence

you had your chance
and thought it
made you a man
but with my wide eyes
in the midst of this demise
i saw your weaknesses too
and
you're
no
man.

time to shine

this will be my year
i will be savy
i will come out ahead

don't second guess

doubt will kill this momentum
i can keep up
life will not pass me by

everyday
at the end of the day
i will ask,
"did i do everything i could have done today?"

humble yet confident
that's the line to balance
i can do it

i will play hard
and love harder

pray

 

step one

i've been stuck inside my head for quite awhile
today i broke free
God showed up and bent bars
and allowed me to walk out
a little more aware
and unharmed

so many questions were put into words
even though no answers are formed
talks and negotiations have begun
opinions, lessons, and plans are being made
i've been open
and i invited God in
invited in the ones He put in my life to love
invited in the ones He put in my life to love me

i feel fresh
i feel empowered

let go
accept
step one complete