LOVE POETRY: My poem - Dream Catch Me

I TEND to be a love-sick puppy at times. Falling for girls that are spoken for or aren't interested and having my heart minced by the ones who pretend they are - these seem to be common trends in my hopeless romantic life. But from the burning ashes of emotional hurt often comes inspiration!

I often have this recurring dream where I'm walking along a beach at sunset - hand-in-hand with the undiscovered love of my life. Sometimes I recognise the girl, but at other times it's someone that I have never seen or met before. I like to believe that I'm yet to meet the latter one.

Anyway, enough about me. Below is a poem I wrote a few months back about my recurring love dream. It's an amalgamation of my own love sick feelings and two of my favourite songs. It you are familiar with the Goo Goo Dolls and the work of Newton Faulkner, you may recognise a few lines. There is also a bit of Blaise Pascal thrown in there just to spice things up.

So grab a tissue or another beer and I hope my poem touches you in a platonic way.

DREAM CATCH ME

The warm sunset rays cast themselves upon the tame sea

Dancing on slow moving humps of blue,

They meet the shore with a gentle swish

Gobbling up footprints left behind with joyous laughter.

We have an endless soft blanket before us on which to paint our future,

The past is washed clean, and all we need to go forward is the touch of each others hands.

It is only you and me - the rest of the World doesn’t matter,

Happiness has been defined in a single day...

But alas this is not today,

Today is a recurring dream.

Here is gone.

We have become adept at convincing ourselves that we know what we want

- who we want

Blind to our own inevitable growth,

Maturity, wisdom, ambitions, desires, dreams.

Our ocean is made murky by socially constructed pettiness

Expectations, perceptions, but very real uncertainty,

Uncertainty that strangles one, causing a head-rush of confusion

A bottomless void that can’t seem to be filled.

A few beeps from an electronic device becomes a make or break moment,

Silly, really

But the will to make the dream reality overpowers.

Left alone in a painful silence

Forced to allow over-analytical thoughts free reign over a once clear state of mind,

My ocean becomes cold and muddy

Please, get me out of this frozen dirt.

The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing, they say,

We try to understand the emotional heart with our heads

The way we are conditioned to,

Futile, really.

Sometimes the head wins the battle,

I break my fingers to make a call, but that’s all it is...

Love is about giving – giving involves trust,

Love is giving someone the ability to hurt you but trusting that they won’t.

There’s a place I go when I’m alone

Do anything I want, be anyone I want to be,

But it is always you I see there and I can’t stop myself from falling.

That’s where I’m going, where are you going? Hold it close, don’t let this go,

Dream catch me – catch me when I fall

Take me to my ocean I have seen before,

Let me meet her

Show me what I know will one day find me and become my reality.

Everything’s wrong, but it’s alright...

** More Feel Good Fillers **

LOVE: 8 reasons to feel good about the world and all it's people

Feel Good Photos

Related Inspiration:

• Blessings
• Desiderata
• Inspiration
• The Awakening
• Inspirational Quotations

** More Feel Good Fillers **

GOOD ADVICE: Free life lessons lent from loving people

1. The best is yet to come.
2. Forgive everyone everything.
3. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
4. Take deep breaths. It calms the mind.
5. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.
6. The most important sex organ is the brain.
7. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
8. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
9. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
10. Time heals almost everything. Give Time time.
11. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.
12. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
13. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
14. Friends are the family that we choose for ourselves.
15. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
16. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
19. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
20. What other people think of you is none of your business.
21. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
22. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
23. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
25. Make peace with your past so it won't screwup the present.
26. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take
no for an answer.
27. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s,
we'd grab ours back.
28. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their
journey is all about.
29. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to
you and no one else.
30. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it
for a special occasion. Today is special.

Happy Friday :)

** More Feel Good Fillers **

POETRY: Inspirational words from The Awakening poem

This poem got me through a very bleak time in my life (last week when I had flu and was feeling rather miserable). Just when I thought life had no meaning anymore my dear mother send me this poem to cheer me up. It really is an inspirational piece so I thought I share some of its wise words with you.

The Awakening by Sonny Carrol

THERE comes a time in your life when you finally get it ... When, in the midst of all your fears and insanity, you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere the voice inside your head cries out "ENOUGH! Enough fighting and crying or struggling to hold on." Then, like a child quieting down after a blind tantrum, your sobs begin to subside and you blink back your tears and begin to look at the world through new eyes. This is your awakening.

You realize it’s time to stop hoping and waiting for something to change, or for happiness, safety and security to magically appear over the next horizon. You realize that in the real world there aren’t always fairy tale endings, and that any guarantee of “happily ever after” must begin with you.

You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect and that not everyone will always love, appreciate or approve of who or what you are, and that’s okay. They are entitled to their own views and opinions.

~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~

You learn the importance of loving and championing yourself, and in the process a sense of new-found confidence is born of self-approval. You stop complaining and blaming other people for the things they did to you – or didn’t do for you – and you learn that the only thing you can really count on is the unexpected.

You learn that people don’t always say what they mean or mean what they say and that not everyone will always be there for you and that everything isn’t always about you.

So, you learn to stand on your own and take care of yourself, and in the process a sense of safety and security is born of self-reliance. You stop judging and pointing fingers and you begin to accept people as they are and to overlook their shortcomings and human frailties… and in the process a sense of peace and contentment is born of forgiveness.

~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~

You learn to open up to new worlds and different points of view. You begin to discover that the world is much larger than where you live, and you rediscover your curiosity and embrace adventurous exploration. You open up your mind, begin reassessing and redefining who you are and what you really stand for.

You learn the difference between wanting and needing and you begin to discard the doctrines and values you’ve outgrown, or should never have bought into to begin with. You learn that there is power and glory in creating and contributing and you stop maneuvering through life merely as a consumer looking for your next fix. You learn that principles such as honesty and integrity are not the outdated ideals of a bygone era, but the mortar that holds together the foundation upon which you must build a life.

You learn that you don’t know everything, it’s not your job to save the world and that you can’t teach a pig to sing. You learn that the only cross to bear is the one you choose to carry and that martyrs get burned at the stake.

~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~

Then you learn about love. You learn to look at relationships as they really are and not as you would have them be. You learn that alone does not mean lonely. You stop trying to control people, situations and outcomes. You learn to distinguish between guilt and responsibility and the importance of setting boundaries and learning to say no.

You also stop working so hard at putting your feelings aside, smoothing things over and ignoring your needs. You learn that your body really is your temple. You begin to care for it and treat it with respect. You begin to eat a balanced diet, drink more water, and take more time to exercise. You learn that being tired fuels doubt, fear, and uncertainty and so you take more time to rest. And, just as food fuels the body, laughter fuels our soul. So you take more time to laugh and to play.

You learn that, for the most part, you get in life what you believe you deserve, and that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophecy. You learn that anything worth achieving is worth working for and that wishing for something to happen is different than working toward making it happen. More importantly, you learn that in order to achieve success you need direction, discipline and perseverance. You also learn that no one can do it all alone, and that it’s okay to ask for help.

~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~

You learn the only thing you must truly fear is fear itself. You learn to step right through your fears because you know that whatever happens you can handle it and to give into fear is to give away the right to live life on your own terms.

You learn to fight for your life and not squander it living under a cloud of impending doom. You learn that life isn’t always fair, you don’t always get what you think you deserve and that sometimes bad things happen to unsuspecting, good people, and you learn not to always take it personally.

You learn that nobody’s punishing you and everything isn’t always somebody’s fault. It’s just life happening. You learn to admit when you are wrong and to build bridges instead of walls. You learn that negative feelings such as anger, envy and resentment must be understood and redirected or they will suffocate the life out of you and poison the universe that surrounds you.

~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~

You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many of the simple things we take for granted, things that millions of people on earth can only dream about: a complete family, clean running water, a soft warm bed, a long hot shower.

You begin to take responsibility for yourself by yourself and you make yourself a promise to never betray yourself and to never, ever settle for less than your heart’s desire. You make a mental note not to defer your life any longer – only living it after you graduate, after you get that flashy new car, or after you make your millions as an investment banker. If you are passionate enough, you can do what you love for the rest of your life, right here, right now.

You make it a point to keep smiling, to keep trusting, to keep learning, and to stay open to every wonderful possibility. Finally, with courage in your heart, you take a stand, you take a deep breath, and you begin to design the life you want to live as best you can.

Related Inspiration:

• Blessings
• Desiderata
• Inspiration
• Feel Good Photos
• Inspirational Quotations

** More Feel Good Fillers **

VALENTINES DAY: lore and legend behind Valentines

VALENTINES Day is thought to have evolved from a spring holiday celebrated in ancient Rome. The feast of Lupercalia was actually celebrated on February 15 and honoured the god Lupercus, who protected the people and their herds from wolves.

On this day, dances were held for single young men and women. A man would draw his partner’s name from a piece of papyrus placed in a bowl. The man not only danced with his partner but was also obligated to protect her throughout the New Year, which began in March.

In many cases the partners became sweethearts and were soon married. When the tradition of these dances was later revived in the Middle Ages, a man would wear his sweetheart’s name on his sleeve. Even today we refer to someone who is quick to show their feeling as "wearing his heart on his sleeve."

Why it is called Valentines Day

Valentines Day most likely received its name and date from Valentinus, a Roman priest who was beheaded on February 14 in the third century A.D. At that time, Emperor Claudius II banned all weddings and engagements. He believed that newly married men made poor Roman soldiers. Valentinus defied the emperor by performing secret marriages and has since been regarded as "the patron saint of lovers".

When Valentinus was imprisoned for refusing to worship pagan gods, children made bouquets, tied on love notes, and tossed them through the prison bars. Valentine then prayed for a miracle, hoping that God would restore the sight of the jailer’s blind daughter.

The Emperor Claudius became enraged when the miracle occurred and both the jailer and his daughter converted to Christianity. Condemned to die, the priest sent the young girl a farewell message signed simply, “from your Valentine.”

Valentines Day messages

Over time, love notes sent to sweethearts on February 14 became known as valentines - as did those who sent them. Paper valentines differed from those of today in that most were printed without messages. This left the 18th-century lover to pen his own sentiment. Paper valentines became popular in the 18thC.

Before commercial printers created the colorful heirlooms we now have from Victorian times, people created their own valentines from paper scraps. In the 19th-century a lady would trace the outline of her hand, then add a paper heart in the center as a symbol of her affection for the recipient.

Valentines Day gifts

Many girls of the same period made watch papers for their sweethearts. Cut from pretty paper, silk or satin, these small circles replaced the ordinary papers that kept the dust out of pocket watches. The circles were painted or embroidered with hearts, the lovers’ initials, or a special motto, and quickly became popular Valentines Day gifts.

Through the years it has been said that a girl could dream of her future husband on St. Valentines Eve by sleeping with four bay leaves pinned to the corners of her pillow. Sleeping with any of the following under your pillow could bring dreams of one’s true love:

• A silver spoon
• A small ladder made of sticks
• A love-knot fashioned from wood shavings
• Three pebbles gathered from a place newly visited, or
• A bit of wedding cake that had been passed through a gold ring three times.

A woman should count the first nine stars she sees during nine consecutive nights. The first eligible man she sees the next day would supposedly become her husband - if she so desires. Legend holds that a young girl could see the face of her future husband by peering at the moon on St. Valentines Eve. For a time many believed this face was “the man in the moon.”

Happy Valentines Day :-)

** More Quite Interesting Histories **