softly drawn is dawn

Opening to green

It’s birthday time.

and, I’ve been lighting candles

with fervor

burning away what is not working

illuminating the path, to show me the way.

in response, perhaps, the years have been softening me

though, I have not directly asked for that ~

showing me, in all my wrongness, there’s one thing I have right:

my love.

my growing capacity to love.

personal love,

impersonal love,

love of thyself

love of the moment

love of fleeting passion present

love that burns through time and space, with such eternity

knowing no end can ever come of it, because it would only do it to itself, and it really wouldn’t, because it’s matured.

This is my communion, my continuity, my flame for this life. This is my time, and this is its purpose.

and, I am so sincerely present.

without a doubt, I’ve never hidden under a basket.

nor behind a cloak.

I have been the bare me all along.

I have born myself of raw flesh and spirals

I have broken skin and wishes and daydreams.

My knees have been skinned on so many near-almosts…

…absolute misses…

while

Going for it, going for it all.

and there is never a guarantee in the program

the program is not built for guarantees. The whole thing is based on risks and risk assessments.

They say that only the courageous or the stupid put it all out there.

how about the one who knows

that there’s nothing else that’s worth it. Holding back is actually the norm.

and the more i can dig in, this year and next year, and maybe more years after that,

the more dirt under my nails, the more fires smoking in my eyes, the more the holy reckoning,

the more moments of absolute REST after the sheer ‘enoughness’ of my irrevocable ALL

I know I’m living.

I’m doing it.

HBD to me.

🎉

and if I should part before too soon

or even near soon at all,

I shall know that what I’ve done here,

is really, really lived.

practice

How is our creator involved in our human process of “making something of ourselves” in our lives, and in the lives of others? I said the following to my husband in a conversation:

I think for me, the fact that I am on a material planet makes me think that I should have some material goals that actualize before I die. As long as we are alive we want something measurable to become of it. I just think that is human nature. And unless we get real clear about our values and beliefs… and then make plans…Life gets wasted in the loss of memories and unsung songs.” He said, “I think there’s a poem in there.” My goal is to publish another poetry book in 2024. I have other things to consider around the journey of preparing a collection of poems for another book.

What has spawned some of these discussions is something new I’m doing called “Reluctant Shaman,” and this is a 6 week, free course. We ask and answer a series of 30 questions and 5 per week, as a study group. If anyone here is interested in joining our next group iteration (because it might be on zoom) please send me a message in the contact link on my page.

In

For Each of the days of November, I will be posting from the Tao Te Ching, using Stephen Mitchell’s translation. Each title is one word in the overall passage. Each day will include a picture, and potentially some prose that begins with the same word from the Tao Te Ching. On the final day, all the titles will be joined together in one post to read it through as it is written in the Tao Te Ching.

Ka Malana Photography

In

the heart of Tao

is all unbroken

silent

surrending

yielding

to

a new beginning.

©Ka Malana2023

This post and the whole shebang was created for Nano Poblano 2023.

Support the Cheer Pepper Team by visiting and leaving a comment, a like, or just reading and sending good vibes. I will be away but am trying to schedule posts ahead and visit as many blogs and bloggers as I can! My focus this year is on supporting!