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Interesting how a single painted line on a road can keep so much from happening …

…how a reflective patch on the shoulder of the road can keep so much from happening …

I continue? …interesting how a box of 3 colours controls traffic!

When interacting with people, we often hear, “don’t cross the line”….or ….”that does it! You have crossed the line!” What line is this and do you know your own lines? As is on the road, the lines can be broken (to allow crossing with caution), or thick and unbroken (to act as a warning not to cross). Again I ask …are you aware of your own lines and those of others with whom you interact?

When interacting with people, we often hear “red flags” “signs” which when ignored, lead one to a cliff! To be fair, these signs are not always verbal, however, if you are keen, they come into your awareness.

This box of colours…do we have an internal one? Are some people or things on an endless red light? Are some people teetering on the orange light, not sure whether to stop or go? Are some people on the green light in your life?

These lines and colours are symbolic of the rules that we operate with in our lives. For them to have any significance, we have to be aware of them. Therein lies the daily challenge. Know yourself. Look in the mirror. Examine yourself…

Are you a vehicle that is barrelling down a road oblivious to reading the signs? Perhaps you missed the turn at the back…perhaps you need a U-turn…perhaps you need to stop and ask for directions…

I suppose I have superimposed!

Celebrate good times…come on! (Kool and the gang)

This song has remained relevant over the years and the current generation still jigs to it…poetry time! 

I celebrate you.

When you toil and labour,

And feel it’s for nought,

Some day some time,

It will come to light.

 

I celebrate you.

When you achieve and conquer,

When you grow and glow,

Some day, some time,

Your light will shine.

 

I celebrate you.

When your children grow,

Through love and challenges,

Some day some time,

Their light will shine.

 

I celebrate you.

In your efforts, in your success,

In your resilience, in your persistence,

Some day, some time,

Your light will shine.

I celebrate you.

“The way to do big things, is to start with the deceptively small things” (Ryan Holiday)

For the first time, my mind has been blank without an inkling about what to write. It brought back all those overused phrases such as ‘creative block’ ‘trees grow in silence’ ‘change is the only constant’ and many more.

I will assume that you, my dear reader, have faced the same blankness at some point. Let me pick just one phrase …’trees grow in silence’. I believe that you, my dear reader, are destined for greatness. And this starts with an inkling of intention. When you are purposely working towards your goals, you will have moments of blankness…moments that can be scary because they do not come with a warning…moments that can make you doubt your choices…moments that can make you have an inspiration. 

Blankness is not such a bad thing. It allows for refocus and redirection if needed. 

The quote at the start of this article is echoed by James Clear (Atomic habits), The essence of which is, small things done repeatedly over time are essential to growth. So no matter how scary the blankness is, every small act you’re doing to achieve your goals, is beneficial in the bigger picture.

So I urge you to celebrate those moments!

Become the majestic tree in this forest of life. 

 

The events of this week got me thinking about grass. The little blades that are trodden daily…that offer comfort in a picnic…that are the home of ants.

I want us to think about how we and grass are related. 

First of all, we are small. No one likes to hear that, but it’s true. We are small in relation to the rest of the universe. If in doubt, stand next to a giraffe, elephant or Lion! Look for the nearest tree and see how small we are. This is a reminder to remain humble. In your growth to success, remember to stay humble and acknowledge that you didn’t do it alone.

Secondly, we go through phases of growth and moments of being downtrodden. We cannot escape either one because that’s how we were created. Part of the growth is individually motivated while another part is motivated by outside forces. Remaining stagnant was never the end goal for man. I say and do believe. Internal motivation is what keeps you, the little grass, standing tall amidst the weeds…suffering or flourishing in the daily/monthly/yearly grind. It is what makes you search deep.

Within this phase, we have a green healthy phase and a dry brown phase and all that lies in between. BUT unlike grass, we have a say in how brightly colored we can be, or even how brown and dry we get. 

Thirdly, we are a home for many things, one of them being, the next generation of doers and thinkers (or perhaps bummers).

Have you ever wondered what legacy you are building? What will the next generation know you for? Are you working on the footprint that you are going to leave behind? Will the footprint mislead or guide?

As with all grass, there comes a lawn mower. Here lie the life lessons. Sometimes we are up and other times we are down. 

Who waters you, little grass?

What keeps you upright amidst the weeds?

 

Have you ever tried a word search puzzle of difficult words?

Have you ever just looked at a puzzle and have your eyes racing?

Perhaps I should start from the beginning…

Have you ever attempted a word puzzle in your adulthood? 

Upon first glance, you see words that seem like they are jumping out at you…the longer you search for the words, the more some words seem to hide…until you step away for a while. If at the first glance you cannot find any word, you become aware of the hard task that lies ahead…do you face it or run away?

Where am I going with this? Think about first impressions…the first thought you have when you meet someone…it jumps out at you. If you’re lucky enough to meet a pure soul, you keep finding descriptive words within them. If on the other hand you find a ‘not so pure soul’, your search for words can become clouded …until you step away from that person to refresh your sight. Stepping away is not such a bad thing after all, is it? If you meet someone and you still cannot find descriptive words within them, you have the option of digging to find the gold or rocks!!… or running away to a more easier puzzle.

Some of our best friendships come from sighting descriptive words within. Some of our best friendships come from digging past the first impressions to find the gold within. 

I dare to say that within every puzzle, there is a lesson to be learnt…agreed?

I could also add that every day we are faced with puzzles…new ones and surprising ones…which ones do you choose to solve?

 

Poetry time! And superimpose time!

Have you ever wondered what the items on the supermarket shelf could think if they could? Have you ever thought of the world as one big supermarket where we are all shoppers and items at the same time? Have you ever wondered why some are bypassed regardless of substance? Read on!

I sit on the shelf, watching and waiting.

I watch your gaze as you stroll the aisles.

Looking for the match of the moment, 

You hum with anticipation.

I sit on the shelf,

Watching you enthralled by bright colours,

Shiny covers keep you from delving deep.

I sit on the shelf, watching your hesitant steps,

Walking past the well worn,

Walking past the silent.

Walking towards your choice of the moment,

Missing out on the stories of the silent and well-worn.

I sit and wonder,

Does bright equal good? 

Does not being so bright equal bad?

I sit and wonder,

The story in your eyes.

Only time will tell.

 

Let’s think about laundry. I believe there are stages to follow, regardless of whether you use a machine or not. For the purposes of this article, let’s order the stages of laundry as – sort, wash, rinse, dry, iron and fold. Time to superimpose!…become one with the laundry…

Sort – The first thing we are taught is to sort laundry and make sure we do not mix clothes that will discolour others. In your life, are you careful to sort your relationships in the same manner? 

Wash – There are times in life we feel that there are too many things happening all at once and we cannot see the end in sight. Picture the scrubbing that you do to your laundry – can you relate? Just when you think that it has passed, life decides that you are not scrubbed enough! And into the water and soap you return!

Rinse – A little bit gentler, the tough cycle has passed and hopefully you have learnt the necessary lesson. Hopefully you come out of the rinse somewhat revitalized and ready to take on life!

Dry – This again depends on the season of life. There are hot and humid seasons, windy and cloudy days. Each of the days brings on different challenges. Just like in the wash, the hot and humid season in life can test and try your resolve. Just hang in there!…The windy season blows you all over the place and seems endless, however, if you just wait a little, all will be well!…The cloudy days…hmmm! Seems all gloom and doom, perhaps joyless. Neither here nor there. Perhaps no sense of direction? Neither wet nor dry…just terribly damp! But hang in there…the sun will peek again…

Iron – another hot season in your life. However, the goal is to come out an even better person than you were! Hopefully, the ironing process clarifies your thinking and removes the creases that reduce your productivity and cloud your existence…

Fold – now you are ready and presentable. It’s up to you to decide whether you will remain hanging pretty on a hanger or walk out in the world to live as who you were meant to be!

We

Are

Still

Human

!