A New and Better Way

Most of us have it - that one emotion we avoid at all costs. Or when we see it on display in another we squirm inside and want to run or look away. Perhaps it's fear, pain, shame or disappointment. Perhaps there is more than one feeling. It may even be that any form of emotional vulnerability is uncomfortable for us. Why is that I wonder? Somewhere, somehow some of us learned that certain emotions were unsafe or uncool. Maybe our anger, despair or excitement was overwhelming to us or too much for our caregiver. Perhaps because they themselves had baggage of their own around certain feelings (and with good reason) or maybe they were simply not in touch with their own emotions. Maybe there was no one to teach us about emotional regulation so we simply learned that feeling nothing was best. In the home I grew up in, anger was the forbidden feeling. I remember asking one of my parents who was clearly upset if they were angry. Their response, in an elevated voice was - "I'm...

  The urge to write has hit. It actually started last year with random phrases of spoken word poetry running through my mind pre-work out at the YMCA. I jotted some of the better ones down.  A few weeks later a friend told me they felt writing would be a part of 2018. Another friend said a similar thing a few months later. Two other friends have started writing their books now in 2019.  There are so many voices out there it's rather daunting to begin. The nudge was there again earlier this week so here I am...trying. Easing in and testing the waters. I'll start off with one of last year's offerings. Poem #1 profane the holy halls of comfort with sacred words that scorch souls and set them burning Transcendent One who tickles time and minds with mirth come breathe on us again the burning breath of love catch us up in your deep kindness and spit us back into the darkness burning embers of compassion aflame afire with...