At the gym today
thinking what lifting has done for me
it has taught me to hold my own
in a room full of testosterone
it takes me to a quiet head space
my mind so quiet while my body aches
it has made me able to walk naked
unashamed
though my curves are not slim
they are strong
there is a balance and strength
I find
investing in
body, soul and mind
the air has lost it’s edge of cold
but it’s still not time for Birkenstocks
the trees have tiny buds but the grass is still straw
spring skiing with slushy snow and my suburned faced kids
a hike at Red Rocks without a jacket
Marius the rabbit takes to staying out all night
Smudge the cat is pouncing around like a kitten
a spring snowstorm coming in this week
I am always dreaming
of a place
with a lovely home with porches all around
it’s green and there are trees that drape down to touch the ground
somewhere close by water and sunlight bounces cheerily on it’s surface
there is a chair outside that I read and write from
inside a piano with a view
so that when I play I can see outside and my music will float out of the open windows
today a walk with my man
and a talk with my man
easy banter and his hand
in the warm spring sun that feels
as if winter could be over
a far away chat with my oldest daughter
whose first car
took her home to a life she is starting
dreaming with my son of new horizons just beyond the doors of our home
my youngest tanned from her escape to Florida for spring break with her friend
my dear father in law in our kitchen
today after our walk his son went with him to his pet scan
I see faithful, loyal, kind and compassion in the way he stands with his Father through this life
I called my Father today and feel compassion for him as he has paid a dear price for his sins
this is today
in my world
embrace the quirky
parts of yourself
that differ
your long view of the landscape
the thing that makes you draw the deeper breath
be who you are
don’t give in to fitting in
dare to have a voice even when it doesn’t blend
let the colors inside spill onto the world
find the courage to still the inner voices that say you can’t
trust yourself
be who you are
why
do we struggle
to set limits on guns
why must they be a right and not a priviledge
as New Zealand finds the courage to quickly change their laws
their country stands together a light and example in the darkness of our world
saying no to an endless stream of weapons into the hands of anyone who cares to buy
the right to bear arms may be in our constitution but the need to do so was a revolution
I ask you why must we insist on rhetoric, division, sides and battles of ideals
the revolution must be in our hearts to stand as citizens together
putting aside our rights and leaving our history
setting better limits for the common good
of our fellow Americans
history has a way
of being rewritten
in the lives of others
our children
in souls we never meet
there is nothing new under the sun
we must take care not to minimize, hush and try to change
those we do not understand
be cautious to judge
there is evil in the human soul
but also great good
Let us stand with others
in solidarity holding up what is right in ourselves and in the world
and condemning the darkness
