The beauty of tears
graces my face
working my way through words
to get my heart into the light
preoccupied by skyward motion
forgetting to watch my step
i fall into you
knocking you off the boat.
we owe each other
attention to the small things
is it easier to celebrate the major victories
than it is to cherish the silent moments
of authentic joy?
is it easier to carry each other's biggest burdens
or to notice the small wounds
forming out of sight?
and who decides what matters most
do we allow each other
to set the standards by which we interact
or do we impose our own values
on relationships?
it is usually the questions
and not the answers
that break me down.

Falling Together

Um this kind of never happens. Two posts in a day? I'm coping, ok? And here's a fresh off the press poem. Which means maybe it's in need of editing? But here it is. 

Falling is always the freest thing

Scary for what it leaves behind:

The solid footing you took for granted

When forming dreams in the sky.

The air is gray and crisp

And my fingers are tingling with the chill

Of October coming into town

My heart is aching with wonder

The distance between us is too much

The person there to care for you

Is driving away to beat the sunset

So we reach out into nothing

Locking eyes in our memories

Pretending not to be afraid

Hoping for a soft landing soon.

Reinvention

So. I've been feeling a bit... disoriented about this blog. Which is appropriate since it is titled "living LOST and found." But, you know, sometimes it's nice to have a plan. Or structure. In fact, from what I hear, it's kind of essential for maintaining your energy for doing other important things, like canoe trips and mountain biking. Because your brain can only do so much deciding.

Here's the new plan. I will...

1. Blog about accomplishing my big and little goals. I hope to inspire you to dream - and dream big and small.

2. Share information I have gleaned throughout the week. It has occurred to me that I am a major consumer of information. Perhaps I can put that to good use and share it with others. Topics will range WIDELY.

3. Post pictures of things. I need to take more pictures. And, a blog without pictures gets a little, um, wordy?

4. Share my opinions. Inevitable. On philosophy, psychology, politics. And potentially anything else.

5. Share poems.

So, Friday seems like a good day for learning. Let's have some Sharing Time.

• We just watched a documentary about rewilding tigers in South Africa so they can be reintroduced into Asia. Apparently this is highly controversial. All I know is - tigers are AWESOME. And it's hard not to want one as a pet.
• In case you were wondering, we did have an earthquake on the East Coast last week. And it somehow traveled from Virginia to Maine and Ohio and Georgia. Turns out, that's because we have special substrate.
• And in similarly nature-oriented learning, did you know that they are planning to build an oil pipeline from Canada to Texas? To me, getting oil out of sand sounds HARD. Also, building a 1,000 mile (or more) pipeline brings up issues of being able to monitor for damages/emergency leaks.
• Finally, did you know you could watch eagles on a webcam? Well, you can in the spring. Something to look forward to!

Happy weekend, friends! Here's to turning over a new leaf here at the ole blog.

at a minimum

giving up the ghost
the dreams that it is clear won't come to pass
the visions in my head from yesterday
time to wake up to
the world as it is
gluttonous and greedy
cold and cheeky
mostly just difficult to dance with
or is it only me?
i want to run to fly to jump to breathe in once
and know that i am at peace
could there be another choice
than frustrated marathons
i know now what you meant
about feeling far away from god
when you felt alone despite your seeking
when you were waiting at the station
realizing that train would never arrive
not in this lifetime
the cruel part of life
is the lack of a rewind button
or a pause
how the sweetest moments can drift by
while you're bent over in pain
and how when you find your need
you find that words won't work
and the passersby pick up the pace
real struggle isn't always beautiful
at least not until the mirror
of reflection rises
but that can take decades
at a minimum.

1. Working out when you're in shape is so much more fun than when you're not. But it also takes longer to feel like you're really DOING something. Problems, I know. Tomorrow morning I'll be going for a run, and that should remind me that I'm not in THAT good of shape - since it's been a few weeks since I've done it.

2. I've started a new habit - writing a long personal email to a long distance friend each day. I happened to be looking back through some old emails, and I used to be truly amazing (ha ha) at keeping in touch, in large part to email. And recently I've been wanting to reconnect, but not being sure how. Enter the email. Oh, and if you want one, just drop me a line and I'll put you on the list. :)

3. I think I'm going to put some poetry up here for a while, when I don't have time/thoughts for a real blog post. I've been feeling how much I need to write and share my writing. It's a huge part of how I define/explain/express myself. I am just not me with out. So, starting now...

I want my life to cover the globe -
seven continents in as many decades,
hear every language from smiling lips,
maybe greet the world through books and films
if fortune doesn't offer moneyed means to get me there.
So each season may be uncomfortably foreign
at first.
But at the end of each year
I hope to peer back into the past,
see pictures of myself laughing with a hundred friends
having grown through every challenge
learned to surf; captained my own ship
made many paths to the sea.
Because what is a life if not the chance to
be everything, fully, moment to moment, day after day,
until the shades are drawn at last.

i hate poems that rhyme.

tell me a story
silent and true
show me the secrets
you've hidden from view
break out the beauty
let go of the fear
hold on to my hand
i'll always be here
if now is not working
we'll just wait awhile
the love is still able
to run cross the miles
the sun is still shining
the way will come clear
and all of your worries
will soon disappear
it's not that i know this
because i am smart
it's that i keep listening
with all of my heart
you don't have to wonder
where peace will emerge
the truth is its waiting
always to be heard
so turn towards the sunshine
stand up on your feet
leave tired old nightmares
alone in the street
there's so much to learn from
and so much to see
this life is adventure
for you and for me.