Connection

“There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way” Thich Nhat Hanh

If happiness had a clear, unambiguous course of travel,
Would you follow it to the T?
Would you not get distracted by what lies before you
On the path as you travel to get there?

Would you go by car?  Perhaps that pace is too fast
And one sideways glance away, you might miss
The next mark on the road.

I’d choose to go by foot.  I imagine that happiness is like
A hiking trail with blue square postmarks.
Some are new and bright blue.
They are easy to decipher.

Along the more difficult terrain,
The marks may be dull and faded.
Can we trust that we are being led to happiness?

What means happiness to me
May not be happiness to you.
So we must have a clear definition of what is happiness
Before we embark on this journey.

Or perhaps it is the course of travel itself
That illuminates the path to joy.

Is happiness the end point?

Connection

I open the window of my heart

I accept the ever changing season.
The pendulum swings
From extreme heat to bitter cold.

I accept that among the cosmos 
The entire planet is smaller than
The dot in the letter i

I matter.  I belong here.
I walk the earth gently.
I smile upon those I greet
On this shared path.

I accept that this moment
is fleeting.
It always is.
And then the next.

I allow myself to fully accept
that which is out of my control.
I cannot make the icy wind chill go away
Nor stop the tide from crashing onto the shore.

And since the earth is but a dot,
My comings and goings hardly go noticed
And I accept that too.

My very existence means the world
To my family and friends
And that I do not take for granted.

When I feel surrounded by love
For myself and others
I open the window of my heart
And let love in.

Inspired by:
“Close your eyes and open the window of your heart.
Only when you have no more need for acceptance
will everything you do be accepted.” RUMI
Connection

I walk gently

The white snowflakes
Gently fall to the earth.
They are big, fat and wet
Sticking to the ground.

They stick to each other.
They cover and blanket the earth.
I am unable to decipher 
their individual shape
among the many crowded underfoot.

I walk gently.
The freshly fallen snow
Pristine, untouched by another.
I do not want to disturb
the perfect symmetry
of smooth white
hugging the earth
Masking and taking shape
of whatever object they land on.

I decide my path of travel
to make an imprint
A mark of life that is there
Inhabiting this space
Disturbing the untouched earth.
I must walk on.