How To Change The World

Be interested
In others
 
Ask with intent to listen
Listen with intent to learn

Slow down
And show people
That they matter
 
Give your time
And attention
Away freely
 
Care about
And for

The people
That cross
Your path

Walk toward
And not away from
Their pain
 
Nurture them
With kind words
And presence
 
This is how
To bridge
The distance
 
This is how
To change
The world 

Heart Breaks A Little

How you do it is
Your heart breaks a little
Every day
 
Some days less
Some days more
 
But daily
It breaks

Daily
You gather up
Your brokenness

Daily
With your brokenness
You rise

Come Around

No discussion
No intent
To understand
 
Just do you
Believe yet
Exactly as
I do

And if not
I don’t need
To know more

But I will
Check in
Again later
 
To see
If you’ve
Come around 

My Hope

My hope
As I leave places
That have shared themselves
With me
 
Is that
I’ve left something
Of value
There too
 
At the very least left
An abundance of kindness
And gentle companionship
In that place

So that
It’s clear
We are one

All pieces of each other

Spread widely

Yet connected

And whole

Lead

When you lead
With your heart
 
Your heart
Brave and open
Can be hurt
 
Can be humbled
To sometimes
Find itself wrong

Yet also can be
A wise and steady guide

When you lead
With your head 

Your head

Measured and logical
Can be distant

Can be sensible
But rigid
In its perception

Yet also can be
A wise and steady guide

And we need it all

Our heart’s callings
Our head’s cautions

Different doses
In different seasons
Or equal measures
Always

Both though
To guide us well
To show us the way

Over It

My Sunday mornings
Look different
Than yours
 
I pray
In ways
You don’t recognize

I don’t
Use the words
That assure you
I’m “in”

My life
No longer meets
Your approval

And I’m over it

Because my soul is full
My heart is at peace and
I live true
 
And as we each walk
In the direction
Our hearts lead
 
Perhaps someday
 
If there is interest

We can share the stories
Of our journeys

Things learned
On unique roads

That otherwise

Would never
Be known

Outgrown

It happens subtly
Sometimes takes years

Things get too tight

Clothes
Ideas
Jobs

Things no longer fit

And must be
Given away
Updated
Left
 
What’s been outgrown
Must be
Left behind
 
So there is space
To breathe
Again

How Tender

How tender are
The hearts
Just below the surface
Of those
Who are strong

How strong are
The souls
Just below the surface
Of those
Who are broken

How tender and
How strong
The hearts and souls
Of us all

This World

As we go
About our days
In this world

We are
Ever aware
Ever vigilant
 
We look both ways
Before crossing
One-way streets

We consider the likelihood
That a mass shooting might unfold
While we shop for groceries
 
We scan for exits
Upon entering rooms
With an urgency
Once reserved
For first responders
 
We do these things

Because
Life is  
Uncertain

While at the same time

Life is
Needing us
To live it

Bestowed

When needs
Are routinely met
 
When a life
Is well cared for
With warm clothes
And kind words

When the outlook
On the horizon
Is hope

And the view 
Over the fence
Is a gentle field
Of wildflowers

There is
A certain license
And freedom of agency

An unearned
Though not underserved
Pass
 
A breath of air bestowed
 
That frees up the energy
To dream
And laugh
 
That frees up internal space
To plan
And get ahead of
Life’s curves

And the lives
Of others
With piled up
Unmet needs
 
With noses pressed up
To the fence
And no boost up
To see over it
 
With energies spent
On the daily work
Of self-preservation
 
May be good
But not nearly
As sweet

And this is how life goes

We have paths
That offer us different tools
Ask of us different things

And we become
Who we are
Because of them