Day 110: Present

Thinking about time and space again this morning, as well as personal goals, both for this year and for life in general. I’m passing several major milestones and it has me thinking about where I am right now, where I wanted to be, and where I want to be in the future knowing and experiencing what I have. It’s given me a particular appreciation for my current positioning in space-time. More than appreciation, I feel as if I am, perhaps somewhat belatedly, learning to use my present for more.

Present

Day 180 & 181: Information.Energy, The Wealth If a Journey

Yesterday’s poem delayed courtesy of computer issues that brought about a more than mild panic. Fortunately things appear to be in working order now. Yesterday’s poem was inspired by a conversation with a new friend and coworker about the imperfection of communication and how no matter how hard we try, information is always lost in the transference. Just like energy.

Information.Energy

Today’s poem was inspired by the realization that tomorrow marks day 182, which is more or less the halfway point (365/2=182.5~180). How awesome is that to consider! I’ve been at this for almost half a year!

The Wealth of a Journey

Day 175: Obstacles Made Offerings

Wow, day 175. We’re almost halfway through the year.

Definitely purging a little bit today, perhaps using my poetry to process my own life’s journey. This theme may be a tad redundant but writing this poem definitely helped me with my mindset and perspective going forward today. Here’s hoping someone else will get something similar out of it.

Obstacles Made Offerings

Day 167: Behind the Scenes

Happy Father’s Day! Here’s to all the fathers and father figures in our lives who have shaped us for the better and offered their support.

Here’s to you, Dad.

Today’s poem is an ode to not only fathers and father figures, but those countless individuals who make up our support systems. For those who are sources of stability and encouragement, who are constants in our lives and who will never get the appreciation or recognition they deserve. Thank you. This one’s for you wonderful people.

Behind the Scenes

Days 162 & 163: Untitled; Living a Story

Confession. I hate yesterday’s poem. I’m sure I’m not alone as a poet who occasionally produces something he or she is unhappy with. I kept waiting for inspiration to strike me with something better and it never came. Lesson learned: push forward anyway. Momentum is more important than perfection. I’m beginning to suspect that I’m a rather dense student because this lesson seems somewhat familiar by this point.

In that spirit of moving forward, here are the poems for both 162 and 163.

I wanted to write about prosperity and this is what came out…

Untitled

I was contemplating the nature of control this morning and realized that I have several personal hangups surrounding it that I need to work on. One of which is the struggle with the idea that I am not the author of my own life, but rather the protagonist in my own story. It’s an interesting reframing that’s given me much to think on and at the same time is more than a little freeing.

Living a Story

Day 160: Baseline

I had an interesting conversation with my bride about expressions we each thought of as synonymous yet which each of us understood differently. In particular our standard responses to the common question “How was your day?” provided the inspiration for today’s poem.

Baseline

Days 157-159: Enough for the Stories; Free the Fear; Sniping for Success

I’ve got a bit of backlog again. I’ve been writing but not publishing my writing as I should. I’d intended to spread out several of these backed up poems out over the course of the day but the day had other plans. So did the next. And it has been brought to my attention that when a backlog such as this occurs, that those following his blog do not like being suddenly inundated with multiple updates. So, here is my attempt at compromise. One post. Three poems. Today’s own post will follow shortly.

Day 157: Enough for the Stories

This poem was written in an effort to recapture the loss of the poem, Creative’s Career, which I started in a moment of inspiration that was cut short and the scrap of paper I’d written it down on was thought lost. While the opening is very similar, It ultimately became its own thing. Every time I finish a book, my mind is overwhelmed with ideas. Many of them for entirely new projects or for things I’ve set aside to do later when often what I need to do most is push forward onto the next book in whatever series I’ve started. So many ideas. So many stories to tell. It’s a little overwhelming.

Enough for the Stories

Day 158: Free the Fear

I have been my own worst enemy with my writing. I’ve said before that part of the reason I use pennames is because they give me permission to fail. Permission to simply write. In essence, when I go into a piece knowing that I am going to publicly claim it as my own, I am writing from a place of fear and I think it is undermining my efforts. That got me thinking about the nature of fear and courage and what is required of me with regards to both if I am to succeed as a professional creative. Perhaps what is required of many of us going forward.

Free the Fear

Day 159: Sniping for Success

There is a principle in professional investing that is difficult for many to wrap their heads around, let alone embrace, and which I feel applies to many areas of life. Diversify your investments. Bleed money. Aim wide. The idea is that you’re waiting for something called a “black swan,” which is to say the rare and unpredictable success. Something is going to do well eventually and it all boils down to a test of endurance. Waiting for that single critical moment to strike, the build off of. Then repeating the process over again.

Sniping for Success

Day 152: Golden Problems

There has always been a division in my life that amuses me to think on. Half the people dear to me think me a pessimist and the other half think me an optimist. The last few days have felt a little like a less dramatic Three Stooges skit. This morning I ran into another hiccup almost right out of the gate. But it occurred to me how lucky I am to have to deal with this particular hiccup. In fact, most, of not all of my problems ultimately stem from leading a truly blessed life. It’s not that my problems aren’t real or don’t hold weight, only that, now that I dwell on them, it is as if they are written in liquid gold.

Golden Problems

Day 148: Ants in a Rat Race

I’ve been really caught up in work lately. My part time job, my novels, the audiobook production, trying to do everything in a day. I just about burned myself out. This weekend I took a big step back and let myself rest. I am rethinking my approach.

I have a truly blessed life. My problems are all great problems to have. I need to slow it down and enjoy my amazing present and the process.

Ants in a Rat Race

Day 145: Broken Pieces

I’ve got a book coming out in a few days. I am both excited and nervous. I put a lot into it, maybe more than anything I’ve done before. It’s winding me in knots. This book is a big risk for me in more ways than one and took me way outside my comfort zone. I’m more invested in its success than anything else I’ve ever written. It’s either going to belly flop into a vat of acid or take off. Here’s hoping it’s got wings.

Broken Pieces