Change the filter!

The little boy complained to his Dad,
"When I look up, I want to see the whole sky again Dad,
Like remember when we were in the park?
Make the bridge lines go away!"
His Dad was his superhero, he could do anything!

They were stuck in a huge traffic jam on the bridge.

That meant no shortcuts, no way out.
The Dad had no idea how long it'd take
To cross the bridge so they could make it through.
This reminded him of a prolonged period of time
In his life where he'd been stuck.
Everything he did failed. Nothing he did
Moved him forward. Until one day
He became the kind of person it took
To do whatever it takes to set himself free.

When he looked back now, he realized
That it wasn't that one moment that he decided
But it was every day of the long painful journey
That added up to make him what he needed to be
But was refusing to be because he had been scared.

What would he tell his younger self
That would have made his journey
Less painful and maybe even a bit joyful?

To his son, he said,
"Sometimes in life you learn to make the best
Of what you cannot change son. See this bridge,
We don't know how much time it'll take
For us to cross. So we focus on how we're going to cross it

For cross it fully we must. If we can do it joyfully

For most of this time, we win!"

"No matter what life puts your through

Your strength lies in figuring out how to make this journey
As fun and exciting as you can in the meantime.
That is huge power you have in your own hands!
Always remember that.
Now who's a strong boy?," he said
As he reached out against his seat belt
To tickle his son as the kid started to laugh
Attempting to wriggle away unsuccessfully
Being restricted by his own seat belt.

His Dad was his superhero, he could do anything!

a*k²

I forgive & let go!

I'm not afraid to go into the dark corners of my soul

To forgive all the people who never apologized 

To accept all situations that bruised me to the bone

To let go of all the blame that I placed incorrectly on me.

Yes I have the strength, I forgive.

I forgive myself for trusting people who didn't deserve it.

For banking on people's promises, because I believed in keeping them.

For naively believing they always had my best interests at heart

Because I always had their best interests in mine.

For believing people's words because I believed in integrity.

For thinking they'd be true because I was authentic.

For not knowing what I know now with reflection.

I forgive not because they deserve forgiveness but because

They no longer deserve a place in my kind heart. 

I forgive because I want peace for myself. 

Yes I let it go, I forgive.

I also take responsibility for me and forgive myself 

For the part I played in these events and circumstances

That were placed on my path to learn and grow.

Yes it wasn't all them, it was also me, I forgive.

I let go of the grief that I carried not knowing 

Who or what was responsible for it.

I forgive and release everyone and everything.

For that's what it takes to heal. To feel fully alive and free.

To consciously create and nurture a beautiful future for me.

I'm ready. I forgive, surrender and let go of my past.

I release. Once and for all. And I do this now.

Because I know I'm doing this for me, not for them.

My time is too precious to waste trying to explain

To people what they already know and will keep denying. 

I can genuinely connect only with those who are centered in truth.

I need time to invest in my present and future

To consciously create the life I want to live.

I believe in Karma, they'll reap what they sowed.

Maybe I'll see it. Maybe I won't.

Maybe at the end of my life, this will be irrelevant.

Maybe I reaped what I sowed and now the account is settled. 

Yes I have the power to forgive, I forgive. 

I forgive and release everyone and everything.

a*k²

Darkness & Light

Why is darkness bad and light good?

Where did this thought originate?

Who made the final decision?

Even if light were good,

It's the darkness that makes me appreciate light?

Without a parallel to compare, I'd be in the dark?

I forgot that it's in embracing my shadow

That I could expand the light within myself.

It's when I accepted the dark, that I found the light.

Because I can't work with what is already light to grow,

It's only the darkness that I can transform into more light.

Even if we assume that the journey is 

From darkness to light, I now want to 

Give darkness it's true credit.

Because whether I admit it or not

The darkness exists. 

Running away from the shadow is way easier yes

But I find it only perpetuates the darkness in the long term.

Facing it and working with it, I can find the light.

Is this why I have a shadow in sunlight?

To remind me of the companion

As nothing to run away from but to proactively heal?

To experience the pain deeply, process and release?

Is this why when the shadow disappears,

It's night that is the ultimate darkness?

Maybe I'll find the answers to these questions

Maybe I won't. One thing's for sure 

I'm not running anymore. I accept all of me.

Darkness & Light.

a*k²

How does the window open?

"Does the window open inwards or outwards Sir?"
The curious little boy asked the wise old monk
As he skipped alongside him joyfully.
There was a beautiful closed vintage window
They'd just passed by.
"Open it both ways one day and see for yourself,"
The old monk had said.

When the little boy came back as a young man
To visit the old monk from his childhood again,
He asked him the same question in frustration,
"Does the window open inwards or outwards Sir?"
The old monk understood. He said,
"Well that depends young man,
Do you want long term fulfillment
Or instant gratification?"

"Ah," exclaimed the young man, "so inwards it is."
"I did not say that," countered the monk.
"What do you mean then Sir," prodded the young man.

"You may choose one or the other or
Even create a little bit of both in your own personal mix,
Make sure to watch out though so it doesn't become your fix.
Change your preference with time or have it the same.

What matters is that you choose consciously.
What matters is that it's a deliberate decision
That is true to who you are authentically
And not a result of unconscious conditioning.
Whether you're aware of it or not,
It's a choice you have. And your life will reflect it.
It's never too late. Choose wisely."

The old monk concluded.

a*k²

My Marriage

I wasn't born so I could be married one day.

I'd rather amount to nothing on my own

Than be something only because I married.  

That is not the life I choose for me.

I don't have anything against marriage

I think the irony is that I'm too for it.

I'm in it for the loyalty, the commitment

The affection, the love, the partnership.

I cannot and will not marry

For the sake of being married. 

That's just not who I am

And that's just not something I can do.

When I decide to marry

It will be with a man who is my match.

Someone who I respect, who respects me

And we're mutually able to visualize a future together.

Someone who inspires me

To be the best version of me

Bolstering my strength when I fail

This I will do for him too.

We are great at being independent

We take responsibility for our own happiness.

Life is just more fun together than apart

Learning new things and conquering life's challenges.

Inspired by the line in the poem by Bianca Sparacino

He'll be my safe place and my biggest adventure

As I will be his. We will create our future together

As equals brought together by Destiny for good karma.

a*k²  

Nature, tell me this

Nature, tell me this
How do you create?
What is your process of creation?
From where comes your palette of colors?
How do you mix them?
Let me in on just this one secret, won't you?
How do you flow so?

a*k²

Burns & Beauty

Sometimes in life you get burnt.
Sometimes it's to rediscover
The beauty within.
Sometimes it's to know that
No matter how much you get burnt
You're intact on the inside.

Sometimes it's to make you stronger
To make you a better version of you
To take off the rose-colored glasses
And see the world for what it is,
Make better decisions going forward.

When you realize you get more of
What you focus on
You learn to focus on the beauty
From the burns
And not the burns in themselves.

Lessons hard-won needed to be
Learnt that way
For I wouldn't have learnt
What I needed to
Any other way.

a*k²