Your Own Voice.

I do my best because I’m counting on you counting on me.

Maya Angelou

Sometimes we are so faithless in ourselves. We are so fearful that we can do nothing right that we put our trust in the abilities of others to ignite our light. We feel that if others can do it for themselves, they can help us do it for ourselves. We forget that sticking to their plan is the quickest way to fail and following someone else’s voice will lead us astray.

When you replace the voice inside your head for voices outside of you, you begin to get scared to live, then you put your whole life in another persons hands. Then you forget how to breathe properly, because that could blow everything you thought you had going for you. The funny thing is, even when we know they are wrong, fear prevents us from saying so and taking control. This goes on until it cannot and then you have to turn to our true source of light and life to find our way back home.

One of the hardest things is to be honest at all cost. However, we first have to be truthful to ourselves in order not to live a lie. In today’s world it is so easy to do this, so it takes a clearer head and constant honesty to remain faithful to your authentic self. At the end of the day we are each responsible for ourselves, whether we feel we can take on this responsibility or not. Even in the off-chance that we gather our success from the voice of others, how do we know that it will be good enough?

To be in the world but not of it is something to strive for:

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.

1 John 2: 15-16

When we stop depending on the examples of those we deem a success, then, we will have more time to realize our personal truths. We will not be afraid to chart our own course and to do things our way, because we seek no applause from anyone, but look for the answers from our Creator. We will be happy that someone made it to their destination, but we wont feel the need to be a disciple and follow. For after we realize our part in this universe, we will happily play our role, until the curtain falls.

Image result for the man who says he can and the man who says he can't are both correct

Remember.

Remember this when you feel adrift.
There is a reason why you have to be still.
A reason you are for that moment
empty and not filled.
There is a reason you curl inward and not out.
A reason you have to take you time
to think and think without reason or rhyme.
A reason you hibernate.
When you sleep so long
So deep.
Remember this when you cannot think.
When your mind is consumed by nothing.
When all you can do is sit
stand
walk look
back and then ahead.
Remember this when you cannot create
all that in your mind so great.
When all you can do is look
at everyone who looks like
they have left you on the side
lines.
Remember this when you wonder about faith
and find it missing
from your plate.
When the weight of waste
matter
blocks your path
and you wait for a rebirth
of sorts.
When you want to blurt
the truth.
But your voice has gone
to the voice farm
never to be reclaimed
for a while.
For a while you did not count
something of yourself
until you were called to mount
that mountain.

Remember there is a time for everything:

(A time to be born, And a time to die;
A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted;
A time to kill, And a time to heal;
A time to break down, And a time to build up;
A time to weep, And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, And a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain, And a time to lose;
A time to keep, And a time to throw away;
A time to tear, And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;
A time to love, And a time to hate;
A time of war, And a time of peace). (Ecclesiastes 3:2-8, NKJV)

Remember
every goodbye means hello.
All your tears will
disappear in the blinding sun.
S.Grant Feb 2020
Blue Petaled Flowers

What You Deserve.

deserve (transitive verb): to acquire or earn a rightful claim, by virtue of actions or qualities; to become entitled to or worthy of (reward or punishment, esteem or disesteem, position, designation, or any specified treatment).

dailywritingtips.com

“You deserve so much more”. A phrase I often heard but thought little about. That is until I heard it enough to question it’s relevance. By saying that someone deserves something does it make it true?

When we say we or others deserve more, what are we really saying? Are we saying that life has been so unfair because they are not getting the recognition, rewards or riches that they deserve? If so, what can be done about it? Some people die never getting what others think they deserve and some wait their whole lives, never to get that which they deserve.

Image result for what i deserve meme"

Some people have so much talent we are sick of them – in a good way. Yet those same people seem to always fall short of the recognition they deserve. Meanwhile you have Miss mediocrity and Mr Procrastination jiving along collecting that which seems to come with very little effort, or talent for that matter. We the observers to all this, are left confused and flabbergasted as this state of affairs, while we bitterly recite the soothing phrase, “you deserve so much more”. We cuddle and console until we are blue in the face but nothing changes. At least not for them!

So, does anyone deserve anything? I “stole” this question from psychologytoday.com. However, it is an important question. Does anyone deserve anything? Well according to them we feel we deserve something, because we feel it is our right to claim things as being meant for us. They say a lot in the article of deserving but the thing that stood out was to replace the idea of deserving with a needs-based perspective. Do we really need fame, respect, wealth and whatever else for whatever reason?

Image result for what i deserve gif"

No, you get what you think you deserve, is another train of thought. Here the premise is that the belief you have in your own “special-ness” will cause you to reap good rewards but bad ones if you don’t. Okay, so it is your mindset that is at fault as to whether or not you get what you deserve. Well, if you think this is the case then by all means, start changing your mindset and act like you deserve everything you desire and it will come to you. Visualize and act on the belief you have. If you do not, you will suffer from the imposter syndrome, never feeling good enough, even though you have all the potential and talent in the world.

Personally, I think there are things we all deserve, but will we get it is another matter? I do not believe we deserve an applause for doing the bare minimum, for showing up but not showing out. I also believe that you may look at someone and envision what they deserve but what do they envision for themselves? Do they feel they deserve what you think they deserve? Do they even care about what you are getting so worked up about, on their behalf? I feel we deserve to be happy, to do what we love doing, to get just rewards for work done and to be our authentic selves. You can’t tell someone what they deserve, they must know it for themselves. Why?

If others cannot know their true worth, how will they ever demand what they deserve? Then again how much of it is in our control?

Image result for But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me."

Watching You Struggle.

Hey!
Wait a minute.
Stop.
Don't go any further.
What are you doing?
What do you intend to do here?
Do you think you are here to struggle?

I watched slip
so many time on that ladder.
Going nowhere but the bottom.

Why do you care
about them?
Do you know while you watch them watch you,
you go through
the empty space set there to trap you.

You flash here and there
like a fish out of water.
Like a elephant ballerina.
How odd that this is your normal.
How sad that this is what you have come to.

You
once so proud and strong.
So noble
A crude disfigured rendering
used to entertain and keep you in your place!

Et bien
Ah bueno
oh byen
Who cares if you passed the test!
It was never written with you in mind.

Wait again!
Think about.
Before you go down this road,
do you really care to do so.

Do you really care to put yourself through further torment?

It will never do
to start taking in
everything shoved down your throat.

As I look at you swimming in your sweat and the filth of others I have one question:
will it be worth it?
Landscape Photography of Withered Tree

Life is a Lie

Do not believe anything!

Well that seems to be what we should take from all the craziness we are expected to deal with on a daily basis.

Image result for life is a lie quote

It seems that the truth is only that for the person who does not want anyone else to know that they are lying. Fake apologies are now a dime a dozen, and we don’t know how Real looks anymore. We accept lies for truth and reject the truth for what our poor brains can accept as a desired reality – which is not the reality.

It’s now common to hate when we have to face our own shortcomings, because being the victim makes you a hero fit for your own pedestal. We have become suspicious of raw emotions and find comfort it rehearsed parts played by terrible actors. When you see someone who is the right package, it may be that it has been put together with the blood, sweat and tears of their poor victims- this time real ones. Also, if you look closely you will see that there are misfits and tapes where everything should be seamless.

So, here we are years later, with the truth. What do we do with it? Can we go back and reclaim our time from people who wasted it with their lies. Ah, no. Sadly, there is nothing we can do but accept that we have been duped by legions of distractions, ones who came close to derailing us from our truth.

We have become comfortable with the The Dream and life has really become a dream. An alternate reality to capture what we have decided is real.

 Ever drifting down the stream
Lingering in the golden gleam
Life, what is it but a dream?
- Lewis Carroll (from "Life is but a Dream")

Are You Hot and Cold?

Is it really a bad thing to be hot and cold? No one can trust you; no one can read you. They expect you to be this way, and when you are not, then you are not real.

But consider, are we always consistent in how we behave or how we react to the same thing day in and day out? If you are congrats! However, there are many, many persons who can be accused of being inconsistent. Sometimes we fault people for being this way but, we also do it. We do it for many reasons and there are many reasons why we do it.

Image result for if you can't change your mind then you're not using it

If you are someone who can never make up your mind about important stuff, you are not alone. Does it mean you blow hot and cold? Most definitely you do. In a world where we are constantly fed misinformation and where people misrepresent themselves, it is impossible not to constantly be shifting positions and perspectives. It’s good to consider things and healthy to change your mind after further observation, or newly acquired experience.

We shouldn’t feel obligated to run with the same idea for the rest of our lives. As we grow and have more experience we change; not just physically but our beliefs change and our attitude changes toward people and things. Where we were satisfied being viewed a certain way yesterday, today we may feel that that is not how we want to be all our lives. Where we may have felt a certain way about doing something or had an idea of the way things should be, we may have changed without much effort at doing so.

Now, let’s not be a hypocrite. Let’s not think that it’s okay to say one thing when we belief another. But it’s not wrong to change your mind because you have more information to go on.

So, each day gear up and be ready to run hot and cold!

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So Much Beauty

In the early morning light I see so much beauty.
I focus on what's above
Not what is below
and I see a perfect world.
In the quiet of the first blush of dawn I feel life
on the empty streets.
There is no sound
to interrupt the flow of how things were meant to be.
I marvel at the clear sky that hold untold secrets.
Secrets that will never be discovered -
they were never meant to be.
There is so much beauty everywhere!

Alone in the dark just before dawn breaks,
I feel so safe.
There is no one to judge nor truth to make up,
nothing but the beauty of the creator.
As the coconut trees compliment the skies
I alive
to the wonder of how small I can be
and how great I Am.
There is so much beauty everywhere!

Nothing has been added yet,
to distort what you see.
Just the fresh crisp air as your company.
The silence has grace form and yes
beauty.
There is no need to be afraid of what you cannot see.
There is so much beauty everywhere!

The most beautiful scars
with the most beautiful treasures.
The finest presents
that can never
be stolen
that can never be bought
owned
or controlled.
It belongs to no one and everyone.
There is so much beauty everywhere!

In those quiet moments
all wrongs are forgotten
all wounds healed.
All imperfections perfect,
there is no room for lies or deceit.
In those silent moments
you can reclaim your humanity
snatch that reflection and make it real.
There is so much beauty everywhere!

In the stillness of early morning
when the whole world sleeps;
when all you have is the evidence of the Creator,
You can see and breath.

Beauty forgotten. Beauty reclaimed.
- S. Grant 2020
Silhouette of Tree during Golden Hour