The Decision is Made

We grew up believing

that where we were,

wasn't where we were going to be.

So where you start out

almost doesn't matter.

One day at a time,

determination will see me through,

the decision is made,

now it's time to sit back and wait for everyone else to see it.

The Fingerprints of Greatness

Passion.

Discipline.

Vision.

Movies

We sometimes feel

that moments in our lives

resemble our favourite moments

in movies.

I think because we have a story

to tell. We have a direction,

things aren't all random.

We are utterances

on the tip of the tongue

of destiny.

Starting out

I'm going to lay this brick

as perfectly as a brick

can be layed.

Every

single

day.

Service Above Self

I sought my God,

but my God eluded me.

I sought my soul,

but my soul I could not see.

I sought to serve my brother

and in that, I found

all three.

My God, My Soul

and thee.

~Unknown

Witness

The inherent beauty in any moment

lies in the miracle that

you breathe.

you exist.

you were a witness to this life.

"Life isn't fair.

It's just fairer than death" 

~ William Goldman

Past

Some memories are so beautiful,

That's what makes them sad.

Each Other

We are all lost

in the unknown.

We are closest to being found
when we find
each other.

Human After All

Feelings occur

regardless of

legitimacy.

Worth

Don't derive your self-worth

from the size of your bank balance,

or your position of authority,

or even your skills and abilities.

Self-worth is from God.

You feel it through the impact

you make on the world,

the lives of those around you.

Emotional Rational

The heart and the brain

must share one body,

one tongue as means

of their self expression.

When interacting with

these symbiotic beings

it's a good idea to find

out which is talking.

“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with 

creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion.” ~ Dale Carnegie

I Finally Realised...

...and all I need do,

was shed my ego.

"Humility isn'tthinking less of yourself,

it's thinking of yourself, less." - C.S.Lewis

Lessons in Love

Don't try to hurt somebody on purpose

just because they hurt you on accident.

Desire

Desire can be

a crueler master

than fear.

Mattering

You matter

more, the more

things matter

to you.

Counting

I may have the best life

of all men

since I learnt how to

 count how good

I've got it.

What's Weak

It's not their smirks

or their wretched jeers

or their cruel ignorance.

Whether you flare up

or pretend its not there,

what's weak is

if you let it get to you.

Wonderland

This is all make believe.

Believe you can make it.

Things That Didn't Happen

Yeah. 

And maybe after this,

I could also ponder

all those lottery tickets

I would have won

What You Wish You Knew

Don't regret that you didn't know then,

what you know now, because

you could use this time to learn now,

what you'll need to know tomorrow.

Soul Sing

When your head is going crazy

and you find it hard to think,

you can always step back and relax;

it's time to let your soul sing.

Cooler Heads

Completing the task of never giving up,

no matter what,

is made a lot easier

if you can keep your cool

when you miss a

step.

Faking?

Sometimes it's hard to tell

if I'm a good person

or just faking really well.

Sound and Stillness

Wind scrapes dry trees

of their brown leaves

outside

While my lounging body,

relaxes in blotchy lines,

of sunlight

Children scream and chirp

over muffled rock music

outside

While my warm body,

gently simmers in its,

own skin

Sirens wail past people

walking faster than their heads

outside

While my ageing body,

ponders nothing of importance,

in it's moment of respite.

Paradox

The more you know,

the more you realise

there is to know.

The more you give

the more you have

to give to others.

The more you shine

the more you encourage

others to shine too.

Pop Back Up

Sometimes we need to

hit the bottom,

before we can begin to

pop back up.

Life = Risk

Don't only do things because 

you know how they will end.

Do things precisely because 

you don't know where they 

will cause you to end up.

Debate First, Ask Questions Later

There are too many people debating an answer,

when the problem, to be quite honest is that 

nobody is actually sure what the question is.

Find Your Purpose

Don't speak to me of glory,

until you'd rather die than fail,

then, we'll talk.

Chaos

Amidst the chaos,

Amidst the tanglement,

Amidst the dirt,

We see wonderment.

Thank God I'm human;

through the dirt,

in all the tanglement,

part of chaos.

That I may wander round,

and occasionally get lost

and stumble into heaven.

Wind

Windy days like this,

make me wish I had

a bigger flag to fly.

Primal Knowledge

My personal experience of faith

is the recognition
that my soul

knows something that my mind

does not.

Prepare for Opportunity

'When opportunity comes, 

it's too late to prepare' ~ John Wooden

‎"Luck is what happens when 

preparation meets opportunity" ~ Seneca

Support Eachother

This is a contact sport,

This is a team sport,

We're only as strong

as our weakest man.

Share

Don't be afraid

to share your passion

with anyone.

You never know

where it might

lead.

Plan

Send out anonymous letters

to random addresses that say

"I love you"

Today

Today, was not how I expected,

Lets hope tomorrow is, too!

Mastery

You dream of recognition 

and success,

You dream you'll change 

the world,

But if you don't also dream

of mastery

Your dreams they may

unfurl.

Without the strong desire to become skilled and proficient,

all dreams are like hopes to win the lottery.

Ageing Flames

I saw them

pacing, arm in arm,

together, in the night.

I saw each pair

holding a lamp,

giving each other light.

For some couples

their feet got dark

their paths and plans were foiled.

But others they

stormed on with speed, because they

replenished their lamps with oil.

Anxiety

She sat,

knees together

clutching her phone

like a rope.

Ego

Starve the ego,

feed the soul.

"Apologising doesn't always mean that you're wrong and the other person is right.

It just means that you value your relationship more than your ego."

Prague

This is a city,

that hums a tune.

Music is built into the city,

it wafts around like the smell of

breakfast and coffee in the morning.

Waking up to old jazz and classical, 

even the cobbled streets join in with horses feet

and rubber tyres.

And maybe in the evening, after a few,

parts of her may admit her struggles with the bottle,

you may even hear a hickup of cheese and trash from clubs. But

This is a city

that hums a tune.

And in the morning, 

there are no hangovers, as
sweet music wafts over

cobbled streets once more.

Lust and Disgust

As I walk through the shadow

of the valley of opulence,

I feel the lust and disgust of

power and wealth.

Self Assessment

The good must doubt their own goodness

in order to make themselves good.

It's better to doubt the truth,

than be convinced of a lie.

Round

Understanding more does not often produce

sharpness of resolve or integrity because

when we see all sides, there are 

few left to despise.

Does understanding make us like a soft, round object

with only neutered impact on the world?

Even after full understanding, 

the crux is the same.

You pick a direction,

you play a role,

you find happiness, nobility and honour,

regardless.

It's all there to be found.

But only if you can see it.

Brevity

From here on, I must be satisfied by

brevity.
Gone are long days to savour, now only

short encounters, sweet and fast.

But as if more time would satisfy!

Besides, time can dull and dilute,

it smooths over, until strokes appear softer

and perhaps they are more manageable,

but it does not make them reveal

any more answers.

Brevity is able to satisfy, it must be.

The young long brush strokes are

degrading into a more granular and complex beauty.

This beauty lies in the strokes and colours,

but more still in the picture as a whole.

I must learn to love the small things,

the short things, nuance and insinuation.

Reflection will enable me to find a lot

from a little, exhuming those hidden gems

that I would have missed before.

From here on, small brushes are more powerful,

the background hues have dried.

Now, to add detail!

Honest Gold

I've found that the most profound moments,

often blind-side you from the shallowest sources.

You don't always need to search deep

to find honest gold.

These Old Walls

I don't see bricks any more
or hardened mortar,
or what these walls once supported,
or blocked, or protected
or divided.

Sometimes, I see cracks,
or people idly leaning,
or clambering plants climbing,
or pigeons, or street graffiti
or lichen.

Maybe, if you felt called,
you'd delve deeper into history,
you'd find the mud that made the bricks
or the schematics of the architect
or the unique skill of the builder.
Maybe, eventually you'd find why
these cracks form, these pigeons rest
or these people lean.

If you didn't, who would?
Occasionally these bricks are mocked
by coloured aerosols, or relieving drunks, but
they are largely indifferent to time, or reason
or season.

They stand because they were incepted
by those before us,
remnant legacies that carve out our own future, simply by being.
But who are they to affect us? They who don't care about
these plants climbing, graffiti spraying
or people leaning.

They offer no compensating answer other than that
they were here. First.
Discovering any reason in these old walls
is not about the walls at all.
So it seems, I was called for this.
To celebrate things, because they are.
Because I am.

Christmas Come Early

Having Christmas come early

is wonderful and exciting,

but it leaves me confused about what

will now happen instead on December 25th.