Thought for The Day - As it is in Heaven

...so it is on earth.

We are concerned with the measurable, the obtainable, the glitter and the satisfying. And yet there is far more to our world and the world that cannot be seen. About a month ago, I bought a male, blue betta fish, also known as Siamese fighting fish. Alone in a gallon or more tank, his blue fins are tranquil and calming as he swims around. But my son has a male betta as well and it only takes putting them 'near' one another to see how violent they can be. There is a flaring of an area below their gills as the first acknowledgement of the other male. Then the tails get to waving around like giant flags and they beat against the glass as a threat to the other male in the other tank. We would never put them together because with these males, it is always a fight to the finish! But a typical day, they are beautiful creatures, swimming around in their own world. From the videos I've seen, they are excellent fathers as well, taking care of the eggs of their offspring and then caring for the hatchlings.

We come into this world and leave with the same desire: sustenance and connection. And somewhere along the way, we find ways to fill our lives with dull substitutes for the same. We are beings of such beauty and when soft words, movements and acts of passion and love are displayed, it is pure poetry in motion. And yet, behind that nature lies a part of us that "bristles up" when someone like us - perhaps we believe another like us is a rival - comes around. Oh, we have learned to calm ourselves, but let us spend too much time together, and we look for ways to outshine one another. This is true of both the "male" and "female" of our kind. And yet we are capable of an unlimited creative expressions and acts of love! If our news media ever gets a clue, there are as many stories of kindness occurring each day, perhaps we could balance out our fears, if we heard those stories as well! Have you ever watched a family with a new baby? Have you seen how the mother brings them into a room full of relatives? Even men soften at the presence of a baby and love to hold and coo with them!

There is so much going on in the world, seen and unseen. There are energies and forces happening in the visible, tangible world as well the world we don't see. While there is conflict and destruction, there is a birth, life and constant rebuilding. Search your heart and inventory your life: haven't you seen the evidence that you are capable of both beauty and destruction? Have you not seen that you are capable of tender care as well as rage? Final thought: with so much at stake and so much life-affirming possibility, what is the wisest expression you can make? Consider...

Thought for The Day - FIGHT!

Shaken up! 8 x 11 pencil

Certainly there are days when the last thing I want to do is get out of bed. I haven't slept eight hours in years and on rare occasions I get nearly 7 hours. But my "rise and shine" time is one I choose, not based on getting to someone's job. It's one way I fight.

I've longed to get back to painting and drawing most of my adult life. For many years, the idea of doing so was met with anticipation as well as anxiety. What if my work isn't good? What if my head is empty and all the ideas for rendering are gone? But one quiet summer, in between classes I attended at the time, I sat in my car, looking at the complexities of trees. I examined the roots, the trunk and the branches over head. And though trees, in all their complexity are difficult to draw, it was something about that complexity that guided me to bring along a sketchbook to lunch in the park. I began drawing after a very long time.

People say I have a bit of talent when it comes to words. I've written poetry, there are a few stories that I could easily recall the details and plot on a whim; I haven't touched the stories in years and can recall those details in heartbeat. But writing daily, in my journal and offering this "thought" are my ways to fight my own insecurities.

I find myself in the position of counselor, though I am, by nature quiet and reserved. It's been that way since I was a child and every now and then I wonder what it is that draws people to me. But though I like my quiet time, I somehow sense when people are hurting or struggling and it's hard to not offer a listening ear, if that's all I can do.

I guess the fight exists mostly within...you can't simply exist in this world. Like a butterfly fights to get out of its cocoon, I fight to be all I can. And sometimes, most times, it's a battle with myself.