The Comet

The Night was Black

and Dark and Cold,

But filled with Stars Forever Old

And in the Stars I often found

That Hope among them danced around

But on one Night

So Dark

So Bleak

A Dazzling Light

Disturbed my sleep

A Comet streaked

Across the Sky

Its brilliant hues

Transfixed my eye

And too soon gone

This Majestic Sight

And all was Left

The Same stark Night

But my eyes my eyes could no longer see

The Dance of Stars and Hopes and Dreams

The Comet came and went but I

Was left there blind beneath the sky

So I did what any one would do

I followed where the comet flew.

And on

And on

I stumbled behind

And on

And on

Forever blind.

The Strength of Kindness

Never mistake kindness for weakness. It often requires more strenth to be kind than to be cruel.

Cruelty is an easy reaction, just as anger is an easy emotion. Hate, jealousy, fear. All the negative possibilities seem to come relatively easily. It would be easy to give into these feelings. Easy to hit a person who hurt you, easy to yell or scream or call names.

But what is gained by this sort of reaction? Does any one ever leave a situation feeling better? Is anything really resolved?

I think more often than not, people react automatically. Anger is a natural emotion. However if we give in to these urges we may end up doing irrevocable damage which will have a long lasting impact.

Walking away when you are most likely to have a strong reaction is both a kindness to yourself and to the person you are angry with. And it often requires a great deal of strength. It gives you time to re-group, re-evaluated and even a little time to heal. It spares the other party any pain you might have inflicted and it prevents events from spiralling into something that can’t be undone.

It is hard to control your emotions. But regret is harder.

So when you find yourself in a situation where it seems like there is just cause for anger, or cruelty…Before you react, first ask yourself, what you hope to gain? What you would like the end result to be? Remember the strength of kindness and the satisfaction of true strength.

Only the Lonely

As a single parent I occasionally feel lonely, I think single people in general do.

However more often than I actually feel lonely I am told I “must” be lonely.

So I have been considering what might account for any feelings of loneliness I do feel, as well as the lack-there-of.

Conversation, not the “how was your day” variety but true animated and passionate conversation. The type you used to have when you were a teenager, staying up until all hours of the night discussing your future and ideas and developing opinions about the state of the world and all you will do to change it.

I long for those conversations. As we grow older and begin to realize how the world is, how enormous the concept of change is, we also grow smaller. We begin to feel as though these feats are too far beyond our reach, we realize how much in life is truly and completely beyond our control. So our ideas get smaller as well. We begin to discuss things which exist within our immediate circle, our bubble. We talk about day-to-day changes, such as losing weight or starting an exercise program or quitting smoking. Eventually our aspirations waste away and we are left to discuss the miniscule events of the day, gossip about people and we forget that a few short years ago we set out to change the world.

Except I didn’t forget.

I feel lonely by myself or in a group, because I don’t know many people who will still have those conversations. I feel lonely in a relationship or single, because adult people don’t sit up half the night holding hands and dreaming. They go to bed early and form meaningless routines and just try to get through the day-to-day grind.

And because of that I am not lonely. I don’t wish I had a partner to sleep next to. I don’t wish I had someone to see a movie with or watch television with, or cook for. (I have my daughter to take care of.)

I am lonely because I am a dreamer, and I am not lonely because I would rather be alone than be an average person in an average relationship with average goals and aspirations, having average conversations.

So yes. I MUST feel lonely. Because the alternative seems far worse.

Nice Guys Finish.

The old adage “Nice Guys Finish Last” seems to prove itself over and over in everyday interactions.

On a day to day scale, nice guys do seem to finish last. But if we have a look at the bigger picture, we might realize that the jerks of the world, ultimately don’t finish at all.

Or they finish alone.

While the good people might lag behind, the crowd stays with them, they don’t bother to chase the winner and see him cross the finish line.

So the question becomes, is it better to get ahead despite the cost? Or will we find more satisfaction losing the race, but winning the crowd? Is a victory really a victory is you don’t have people you care about and love surrounding you to celebrate with?

 

 

Chapter Three

Chapter Three of Genesis, Book One of The Eternals Series has been published! Just in time for your weekend reading!

If you haven’t read chapters one and two be sure to check them out!

Remember to like the facebook page and get the latest updates on Gaia and Kain as well as other blog posts on Write4urlife!

The Creation Myth

If you haven’t read Chapter Two, you’re missing out on an intriguing new twist on the Creation Myth!

Billions of years ago, the earth was born of the sun, as were all planets in our solar system. When it all began, there were no living organisms on earth, only energy which radiated from the core. Over millions of years this energy battled outside elements and against every odd to form the Last Universal Ancestor, the first Eternal, from which all other life forms have evolved (save humans).

Using her first-born and the energy she was comprised of, Gaia spent the next several million years perfecting a home for her children, and perfecting the different species to inhabit it. Her first great achievement in this area was the dinosaurs. She battled for years to help them emerge and grow, only to have them wiped out by a meteor which she had no control of.

Several species of plants and animals in the oceans and air survived, and they became the next eternals. She wouldn’t need to start from scratch again because these were already somewhat evolved. Pouring more energy into her work she created more new species the first two of each were granted eternal life, with powers and knowledge which determined the interaction of all living creatures. Eternals became the only beings capable of evolution and would do so as needed, passing the new genes on to new generations as the old faded away.

Finally the necessity of evolution slowed, and the earth was populated mostly by animals very similar to the species which prevail today. It was flawless. Everything existed in harmony, not in spite of one and other, but because of each other. The circle of life was a pristine achievement which allowed for no waste or want. Death was not a cruel fate, but a necessary and embraced one, for never would a creature be re-born to the same species, thus everything had a chance to be predator and prey, to experience the warm lazy life of a tree or to run free like a deer.

The eternals seemed the only sufferers for they were not to die; no animal would harm or kill them, for their existence was the corner-stone of all others. Without bodies all that was left was energy, the energy which is re-born again and again infusing life on earth. The life force comes directly from Gaia, we are the channels through which she may live and experience things. As much as we exist as a part of her, she exists as a part of us.

And so it was, for a few thousand years at least. The invaders eventually came and disrupted everything. Seeking to destroy all which Gaia created they waged a war which would have a devastating effect on the earth. The world was broken in the greatest battle, fought between the Eternals and the invaders. What once was whole was now separated by water and vast distances.  The shift of the land caused environmental changes and while Gaia worked to right the climate, both sides had many casualties as a result of the great freeze.

Due to these circumstances the plans of the invaders changed. Out right destruction seemed implausible so some began to cross-breed with the animals in their vicinities. Many horrible things emerged as a result. The monsters of your fairy tales are often representations of the results of some of the “experiments” Humans also resulted. They were the invaders finest creations. Only emerging occasionally, they were the closest links to the invaders own kind. The differences you see between races are often the result of the different earth animals used to create the new species.

After the climate evened out and the remaining eternals began to evolve again, the invaders left. But before they departed they promised to return again to unite their children and take the earth as their own. Modern religion emerged from these promises. It is why men pray to the skies instead of worshipping the earth. It is why they are never satisfied with what’s under their feet and are the only creature which destroys their own habitat.

It is believed that when the humans have weakened the Eternals and Gaia enough the invaders with return to finish the job.

Here Kain interrupted, “Why not just destroy the humans? Surely Gaia could have caused their extinction.”

I smiled knowingly at him. The age-old question: Why should the mother not interfere?

“They are half hers.” I explained. “Humankind was born of both the Invaders and Gaia, and they belong as much to each. It is believed that when each race was new they were given the choice between their Eternal heritage and their Invader heritage. Those who accepted Gaia were gifted with the ability to shift into their ancestral animal, so they may be close to her as well. Those who chose the Invaders or wouldn’t choose at all were left to their own devices, in the hopes that future generations would choose the path of Gaia. Gaia loves. The Invaders are thought not to, but She does. And because of that she will not give up on any of her children, even if they might be her own destruction.”

Click here to read the rest of Chapter Two and remember to share Chapter Three will be released when we reach 100 followers!

© Lacy Donald and write4urlife 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and owner is strictly prohibited.

This is Just an Experiment

This is Just an Experiment.

i found not only this poem, but the enire blog completely entralling and refreshing! check it out!

Risk vs. Reward

I used to have a flawless system for analyzing whether a course of action was one I would be likely to undertake. It was extremely black and white.
Is the risk greater than the reward?
If upon reflection I found that the personal cost outweighed possible personal benefits, I would disregard the notion entirely.
It has only come to me recently that this system is in fact flawed.
By living my life based on this philosophy I have found that more often than not, the risk outweighs any guaranteed benefits. There is always the slight chance of something spectacular occurring, however, in life the general rule seems to stand that you loose more than you win.
Or do you?
What if the reward exists in the risk, and not in the outcome? What if by risking it all, even if the outcome isn’t the desired one, we acknowledge the strength and courage it takes for a leap of faith and consider the act itself a victory?
Then we always win. We win before the buzzer sounds because we dared enough to try. Because we committed ourselves to an action despite the risk. And what if, doing this, perceiving ourselves as victors prior to the outcome, actually creates better odds for more desirable outcomes?
It is with these things in mind that I chose to shift my perception.
Instead of assessing the risk vs reward, I now base my decisions on the principle “you can’t win if you don’t try” and my life is more rewarding because of it.

From Ordinary to Exraordinary

What turns an ordinary act of courtesy into an extraordinary act of kindness?
Sacrifice.
So few people are willing to give anything up for each other. Whether it be a sacrifice of time, of a favorite possession, or a monetary sacrifice, giving even a little of yourself can turn a simple act into an unbelievable gesture.
Now sacrifice means you must be giving something up, depriving yourself of something. Having hoards of money and donating a bit to charities is not an act of sacrifice, its one of retribution.
We aren’t talking about cutting of your arm in order to show your commitment to a cause either.
But something like buying gifts for less fortunate kids at Christmas time, instead of spending hoards on your family.
Doing something you don’t enjoy because someone you know who is struggling deserves to do something they enjoy, and deserves a friend to do it with.
Befriending an unpopular kid in school and then smiling at those who would condemn you for it.
These are a few examples small acts of self sacrifice, and you won’t truly suffer from any of them, but the people you are sacrificing for will definitely benefit.

Now go out and do something extraordinary, and then come and share it with us!!!

The Art of Living

Have you ever been so caught up in the whirlwind of life that one day you find yourself sitting down and you suddenly realize that while you feel as though you have been caught in a tornado, your house looks like its been trashed by one?

This happened to me once. Okay, I will admit, more than once, but this one time in particular caused a completely different perspective to envelope my thoughts.

I was living in Nova Scotia at the time, a time which I now refer to as “The Dark Ages 2” (Note that I don’t call it “The Dark Ages 1”, or just “The Dark Ages”)

DA2 was a time of depression and loneliness for me, I was 6000kms away from everyone I knew and loved, had a job I absolutely despised, and was dealing with other unsavory details. Needless to say, cleaning my house wasn’t big on my priority list.

Until the day I flopped onto my couch and NOTICED.

I had a really good look around and realized I had turned into a complete slob. The state of my kitchen was especially reflective of the inner turmoil I had been experiencing.

Reflective…

I sat there, reflecting on where the best place to start cleaning would me, when I suddenly noticed a reflection in the glass of the stove. It was BEAUTIFUL.

A wine bottle and a roll of paper towel, a few disarrayed dishes, a crumpled cloth, the side view of a fork. All semi transparent, surreal.

I looked to the counter, the source of the art. It was Hideous.

Back to the stove, and again I was struck by the beauty there .

This is when I realized that life is a matter of perspective. Where a moment before I had only seen a mess to be cleaned, I now saw the result of a struggling girl, fighting to make a life for herself. What once seemed hopeless, a battle lost, now seemed like a work in progress, the beginning strokes of what might eventually make a masterpiece.

I took a mental photograph of that reflection and I titled it The Art of Living.

Because life isn’t about striving for perfection, to master the art of living, you have to find the beauty in the messy parts. When its hard try standing on your head or viewing it in a mirror, because sometimes, when everything seems hideous, all it takes to see the good is looking at it from a different angle.

I’ve experienced some horrible things since then, watched even worse things happen to people I care deeply for, yet there hasn’t been a DA3.

And I now do an exceptional head stand.