With the upcoming FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of Realisa, I renew one of my original promises. This is a no ranting zone. And some days, it is a Zen exercise to let the leaves of annoyance and indignation float by and proceed down the river with me. My experiment in acceptance and affirmation precludes me from unloading on the absurd and frankly…. down right idiotic. It is a good exercise. Being stuck in a 4-wheeler, axle deep in mud and spinning your wheels may constitute exercise but cannot be confused with progress. I feel successful with this experiment. I have continually and repeatedly returned to the silver lining, the flip side, the bright side, the glass-half-full perspective. While I honestly admit and acknowledge the pull toward the Dark side [Luke…I am your father….], I am quite content with my progress, my transformation and my commitment to shifting to a more positive and, dare I say, happier space. I value and seek beauty. I want to point excitedly and eagerly at those things that catch me eye, steal my breath, weaken my knees, dilate my pupils and delight my senses.
In the wake of a crashing thunderstorm yesterday morning comes a temperature drop and today we are given a chilly 46F morning. I have a new rose bloom. A friend celebrates her birthday. I shared with her the last five years; the journeys we have made and shared could have crushed us; they certainly sent us to our knees and the edge of darkness. Except, we thrive. She had the deepest most unfailing faith in love and her heart was rewarded. And in that beauty, who could rant? Who could rave? It demands smiles, doves singing, joyfulness and recruits all around her to share in that optimism. Through our witnessing, we find strength. We have example of adversity and harrowing loss converting into the most unexpected and unpredictable outcomes: happiness and peace.
I am blessed to have such a friend. A crafty girl with an easy smile whose strength resides so easily in her happy countenance. And like a kindred spirits, we understand that it is through the wastelands that we are forged. And from the wastelands we emerge stronger. I am glad to have shared my journey with her. Happy Birthday Friend.
