All posts tagged living

Projection

Projection

I push my thoughts out
Tapping my own words
onto an awaiting screen
Recorded reflections
of where I’ve just been
Of personal perspective
Of what I’ve just seen

I examine myself
Instantaneous expressions
of where I am at
The current conditions
of the recurrent facts
In the changes to this
To the status of that

I purge myself
Freeing from any heavy load
that burdens my gut
The formidable restraints
of any personal rut
Of the weight of every ‘if’
Of the wait for ‘and’ and ‘but’

I can steady myself, on words
Calming choppy waters
when things get rough
When the inevitable storms
make passages tough
When righting my own ship
My writing is enough

I let my feelings flow
Spreading my mixed emotions
onto a slate that’s clean
Concrete conceptions
of the spaces in between
Of pressing perspective
Of exactly what I mean

I capture myself
Caught in the moments
where my heart and I agree
All of those impressions
of importance to me
In that place, all my own
To set my soul free

I isolate myself
Spending time alone
with just myself and I
Affected by the effects
of others saying good-bye
Of people going their way
Of different reasons why

I can remind myself, in words
Of all I still keep,
if ever it is missing
The essential and the exceptional
of my mental listing
Like the sure of their support
The soft of her kissing

I check in on myself
The life that I’ve lived
and all that it’s brought
Reminders, in writing,
of all that I’ve got
Of pending perspectives
Of all they may wrought

I project myself forward
Imagining what is to come
should I choose to be older
When I manage to look more ahead
than over my shoulder
In the content of my future
To the contents of my folder

I place my life in front of me
Contemplating the next years
in my personal text
The rhymes and rumination
of my calm and complex
Of wandering, to what else
Of wondering what’s next

I can see myself, through words
Travelling this world,
still taking and making notes
Still carrying big aspirations
wherever my imagination floats
Still boyish on a small island
Buoyant on big boats

I picture myself, always, with words
Soaking all of it in
and jotting all of it down
Expressing all my freshest feelings
from any faraway town
From living my life as a verb
To ‘living’, as adjective and noun

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by ggreentree on September 4, 2020 • Permalink

Posted in Inspiration, Life lessons, Lyrics, Random Thoughts

Tagged affect, alone, aspirations, awaiting, boyish, buoyant, burden, Calm, calming, captured, changes, clean slate, complex, conceptions, conditions, contemplate, content, contents, current, effects, Enough, essential, exceptional, expressions, facts, feelings, free, future, good-byes, Heart, imagination, imagining, importance, impressions, Inevitable, isolate, life, living, missing, mixed emotions, moments, older, passages, pending, perpective, Poetry, pressing, Projection, purge, reasons, record, recurrent, reflections, restraints, rumination, rut, soul, spaces, Steady, storms, support, thoughts, Travel, weight, wonder, words, writing, wrought

Posted by ggreentree on September 4, 2020

https://ggreentree.wordpress.com/2020/09/04/projection/

Irreality

Irreality
Back to our every day realities
Sort of
After a couple of weeks
Of existing for us, for living in the now
From a small measure
Of peace, of temporary normalcy
Back to the daily who and what
And to the far different how

To this new way of life
That has gotten in our way
Every single person
Accountable, for every single day

To these times
That have changed, too abruptly
Wake up
We cannot, from this bad dream
It is still here
Still around, still threatening
This consistent adversity
This inconvenience, the somber theme

A world-wide audience
A suspense show, set on constant replay
With every single one of us
Playing a role, in every single day

screenshot_20200322-104916_facebook
I find myself
Having to catch my breath, far more often
Living life ever more slowly
Listening, intently, while we all wait
Tired, all the while
Of holding my head up, above the din
And seeking the significance
Of the next update

Quiet, in the moment
Worrying how to feel, what to say
Each of us, left to our own
To react appropriately, to every single day

coronavirus statistics

To this altered reality
The subtle to extreme differences
The changing perspectives
In the eye of every beholder
An exasperating existence
Bracing, for what to do next
Feeling lonesome, in this together
While looking over our shoulder

The freedoms of a life…
Protectively held at bay
The responsibilities of a life…
Magnified, all day, every day

The burdens of any life…
Then, all of this, piled onto the fray
For anyone, and everyone
It’s every single day

20200415_131641

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by ggreentree on July 22, 2020 • Permalink

Posted in Life lessons, Random Thoughts, Society

Tagged accountable, adversity, altered reality, anyone, appropriate, audience, bad dream, beholder, bracing, burdens, Change, constant, daily, different, everyone, exasperating, existing, extreme, freedoms, in the now, inconvenience, Irreality, life, listening, living, lonesome, magnified, next, normalcy, peace, perspectives, Poetry, protective, realities, responsibilities, role, significance, somber, suspense, theme, threatening, tired, together, update, worrying

Posted by ggreentree on July 22, 2020

https://ggreentree.wordpress.com/2020/07/22/irreality/

Days

Days

I realize, now,
that yesterdays
often get in my way…

I was caught up
in far too many
of those days

Worrying, wondering,
instead of living
Asleep, awake
Too much to take
Without any giving

I realize, now,
that every tomorrow
is just another day…

I seldom look
to the big picture
these days

Focusing, instead,
on the little things
Sunshine, rain
Today’s refrain
Whatever life bringsI realize, now,
that on this today,
it’s easy to say…

The here and now
is a far better place
for me to be

I can, I will, I am,
instead of I ought
Writing, creation
Keen anticipation
Awaiting every thought

I realize, now,
that every single day
is on my way.

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by ggreentree on May 22, 2018 • Permalink

Posted in Inspiration, Life lessons, Random Thoughts, Society

Tagged anticipation, asleeo, awaiting, awake, better, caught, creation, days, Every, focus, giving, here and now, Instead, keen, little things, living, now, ought, picture, Poetry, rain, realize, refrain, seldom, sunshine, thought, today, tomorrow, Way, whatever, without, wonder, worry, writing, yesterday

Posted by ggreentree on May 22, 2018

https://ggreentree.wordpress.com/2018/05/22/days/

Meeting

Meeting

I arrive with wine, and little apprehension
Entering your home, my worries are very few
Confident that you are kind, that you are genuine
because your wonderful daughter is a part of you

As I look around, a comfort settles over me
Instantly, I am at ease, and even more sure
We say our hellos and she squeezes my hand
Moments later she takes me on a tour

I see warm colours, and family photos
lovingly displayed, up and down the hall
Your own creations, and your creativity,
gracing each room, and on every wall

Crafty signs, stitch work, and oil paintings
Your personal touches, so easily found
Children and teens, newlyweds and grandkids,
all of your loved ones, leaning or hanging around

Tangibly vibrant, with a flick of each switch
The now and the then, brought to light
The young couple, handsome and pretty
Their beginning, framed, in black and white

We stroll through your memories, new and old,
The long journey of a husband and a wife
A visual journal, of his story and yours,
Room to room, so full of a life

As we join everyone in your living room
I look to you, straight across, sitting in a chair
Our glances meet, knowingly, for a moment
neither overly concerned, but both of us aware

Just as I had hoped, with this important step,
I was adding perspective to my happy reality
But it was also tweaking my ongoing interest
with peoples’ grasps on their own mortality

I find myself staring, as we are having dinner
catching myself, just before you do
I am lost, inside my natural curiosity,
wondering about your point of view

I imagine what you might be thinking
Another Easter dinner, like any other year?
Are you blissfully oblivious to who is new,
and simply thankful that everyone is here?

Are you thinking about who is missing,
a little sad, and reminiscent as you look around?
Or are you soaking in the whole atmosphere
Every familiar sight, every happy sound?

Your grandchildren, all talking excitedly
That perfect mix of exuberance and loud
The smiles of three uniquely beautiful daughters
Your constant smile, telling me you are proud

Your living legacy, right here before you
Those most important, just being themselves
A vital portrait of your loving family
brought down from off the shelves

Your smile subsides only when you speak
Voice cracking, behind the few words you say
You seem quietly content, at the head of the table
as I gradually get to know you, on this April day

Everyone slowly heads towards the door,
saying thank-you and exchanging good-byes
I see your expression change, ever so slightly,
as a twinge of melancholy forms in your eyes

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by ggreentree on April 10, 2018 • Permalink

Posted in Life lessons, Random Thoughts, Society

Tagged apprehension, atmosphere, aware, Beautiful, beginning, black and white, children, colours, Comfort, concern, confident, constant, content, creation, curiosity, daughter, dinner, Ease, Easter, everyone, excited, expression, exuberance, eyes, familiar, family, few, found, full, genuine, glance, grandchildren, grasp, handsome, Happy, Home, Hope, husband, imagine, important, interest, journey, kind, Legacy, life, Light, living, long, lost, loud, loved, loving, Meeting, melancholy, memories, missing, Moment, mortality, natural, new, newlyweds, now, oblivious, old, perfect, personal, perspective., photos, pictures, Poetry, point of view, portrait, pretty, proud, reality, reminiscent, room, sad, sight, simple, smile, sound, step, story, stroll, table, tangible, thankful, then, thinking, tour, unique, vibrant, visual, vital, voice, wall, warm, wife, wonderful, wondering, words, worries

Posted by ggreentree on April 10, 2018

https://ggreentree.wordpress.com/2018/04/10/meeting/

Limitation

The unique thing
about regret
is that the less you experience
the more you get – G.G.

Limitation

I’m taking a bit of a risk,
but what if I didn’t…

I’d rather live in the moment
than live with regret
Take a chance on what I want
and grab all I can get
No stop signs
No hesitation
No blurred lines
No limitation
I intend to make the most
of this one-time life
Bring the best of it all
into plain sight
Exhausting each day
Exhausted each night

My motivation can be seen
in unique places
In hopeful eyes
On mourning faces
Times of celebration
Times of dread
Times to remember
Time, to look ahead

IMG_20141215_173356[1]

I’d rather look to the future
than look back with regret
Embrace all of those who inspire
and give back as I get
No retreat
No reservation
No boundaries
No limitation
I intend to stretch my mind
to greater lengths
Flights of fancy
and fanciful flights
Lifting the best of me
to loftier heights

My motivation can be found
in unique places
In beautiful smiles
On candle lit faces
People we meet
People we admire
People we love
People who inspire

I’d rather embrace the possibilities
than accept the regret
Put myself completely out there
Give more than I get
No misunderstanding
No misinterpretation
No incompletes
No limitation
I intend to hold nothing back
in my quest to grow
Express my self
to all who should know
Take the best of me along
to wherever I go

Live this life for every moment
Experience more, every chance I get
Taking risks, and taking strides
Staying ahead of my regret

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by ggreentree on January 30, 2018 • Permalink

Posted in Inspiration, Life lessons, Love, Random Thoughts, Society

Tagged admire, ahead, Beautiful, best, blurred, bondaries, celebration, chance, dread, embrace, exhausted, experience, faces, flight, found, future, get, give, greater, grow, hesitation, incomplete, Inspiration, life, lift, limitations, living, Love, mind, misinterpretation, misunderstanding, Moment, most, motivation, myself, people, Poetry, possibilities, quest, rather, regret, remember, Retreat, risks, sight, smiles, sound, Steps, stretch, Strides, unique

Posted by ggreentree on January 30, 2018

https://ggreentree.wordpress.com/2018/01/30/limitation/

Now

◄ Nov 2017	December 2017	Jan 2018 ►
					1 NOW	2 NOW
3 NOW	4 NOW	5 NOW	6 NOW	7 NOW	8 NOW	9 NOW
10 NOW	11 NOW	12	13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20	21	22	23
24	25	26	27	28	29	30
31

◄ Nov 2017

December 2017

Jan 2018 ►

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

NOW

Now
In some ways, now
I am more nervous
than when we first met
Wondering, if this something,
that seems so sure,
is not certain yet

Worried, that the same ghosts
that haunt my past
will scare me once again
That the many reasons
that this should last
will vanish, into back then

I should not be thinking
about what could go wrong,
or what I would miss
As long as we have now,
and we have the moment,
and we have all of this

Live in the moment…
Don’t waste your time
dwelling on failures
That’s no way to live

Live for the moment…
Don’t think about
what you can’t take
Only, what you can give

In so many ways, now,
I am much more aware
of what’s most important to me
And I am far less concerned
with who I am not,
or who I ought to be

Excited, about the sensations
The exhilaration that I feel
in the anticipation of today
That I can get so caught up,
in something that’s real,
determined, to keep it that way

I have nothing to hide,
and so much more to find
Motivated, by who and how
It’s only about the moment,
the fact that we are here,
and that our time is now.

Speak from the heart,
without hesitation,
within the moment you choose

The present is now
Live for the moment,
without a moment to lose

In many ways, now,
I am far more assured
with what we have found
Caring and carefree,
confident and content,
whenever you’re around

So fulfilled, by what we have,
that it makes perfect sense
to feel strong and secure
Knowing that, at this moment,
in the present tense,
we are substantial and sure

I am clearly focused
on this love for you,
and the love that we share
With all we have now,
everything, in this moment,
and what got us there

Living in the moment…
Taking what life gives me
Embracing all that I have,
and holding on to it tight

Living for the moment…
Finding the joy in each day
Finding the now in each moment,
and keeping it in sight

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by ggreentree on December 11, 2017 • Permalink

Posted in Inspiration, Life lessons, Love, Lyrics, Random Thoughts

Tagged again, anticipation, assured, aware, carefree, Caring, certain, choose, concern, confident, content, determined, dwell, each, embrace, everything, excited, exhiliration, failures, feel, find, first, focus, fulfilled, ghosts, give, haunt, Heart, hesitation, hide, important, joy, last, live, living, lose, Love, miss, Moment, motivated, nervous, now, ought, past, perfect, Poetry, present, real, reasons, scared, secure, sensations, share, should, sight, something, strong, substantial, Sure, take, thinking, Time, today, vanish, ways, wondering, worried, would, wrong

Posted by ggreentree on December 11, 2017

https://ggreentree.wordpress.com/2017/12/11/now/

Swimmer

Swimmer
I had been treading water
for far too long,
when all I wanted to do
was swim
Head and shoulders
above the surface,
scanning the horizon,
for a life beyond him
Sometimes, just floating,
motionless, on my back
Alone with my thoughts,
staring into the sky
Worrying, wondering,
can I move on?
Still not quite sure,
but I know I must try

Standing near the edge,
I look for my place
I am in no hurry,
unsure of my needs
It’s natural to hesitate
with the unfamiliar
I search the shallows,
leery of the weeds
I want to get going
away from the past,
somewhat certain
I am over that hump.
When the time is right
I will find the spot
I will get in for my swim,
but I will not jump

IMG_20150506_203937[1]

Sticking one foot in
to test the water,
I am tempted to dive,
but mindful of my haste
Wading into the unknown,
both cautious and curious
Safer to get in slowly,
just up to my waist
The farther I venture,
the deeper I will get
The calmer the current,
the more risks I’ll take
In the waves of my worries
it seems like the ocean
When I rise above it,
I will see it’s a lake

There is so much of life
that I still want to feel
So much about living,
that I still want to know
Strong and steady,
I swim into the distance
The less I look back,
the further I’ll go
Buoyed by my family
and a lifeline of friends,
I am content where I am,
but searching for more
Rough waters behind me,
I look toward my future
If I see love on the horizon,
I will head for that shore

IMG_0234[1]

1 Comment

by ggreentree on October 15, 2017 • Permalink

Posted in Inspiration, Life lessons, Love, Lyrics, Random Thoughts

Tagged above, back, behind, Calm, content, current, deep, Distance, family, farther, feel, friends, further, future, haste, horizon, Jump, know, lake, leery, life, lifeline, living, Love, More, ocean, past, Poetry, rise, risks, safe, searching, sky, slowly, Steady, strong, surface, swim, Swimmer, tempted, thoughts, Time, toward, uncertain, unfamiliar, unsure, waves, wonder, worries, worry

Posted by ggreentree on October 15, 2017

https://ggreentree.wordpress.com/2017/10/15/swimmer/

Forward

” Same old, same old.
Another day, another dollar.
I’m retiring in a while.
Grinning and baring it.
Going through the motions.
Same shit, different pile. “” Easier said than done.
Nothing better out there.
I’ve been here this long.
I can’t take that chance.
Better safe than sorry.
What if I am wrong? ”
Forward
Life is far too short
No risk means no reward
So do it for yourself
It’s time…you can’t afford

I look to those who have done it
The tension of compromise long gone
They all have bettered themselves
Their life…their own, after moving on

The fact that they seldom look back
A safe distance from where they stood
Happy with who and where they are
It is a better life…when life is good

They chose a new and different path
To move forward, while they can
Each with their own ambition
Each…to become a better man

Because life is far too short
Peace of mind is your reward
Make yourself happy now
It’s time…you can’t afford

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by ggreentree on July 22, 2015 • Permalink

Posted in Inspiration, Life lessons, Lyrics, Random Thoughts, Society

Tagged better, chance, compromise, Distance, Forward, gone, happiness, life, living, money, old, own, Path, peace of mind, Poetry, retirement, reward, risk, safe, short, sorry, tension, wrong, yourself

Posted by ggreentree on July 22, 2015

https://ggreentree.wordpress.com/2015/07/22/forward/

Way

Way

Never enough time
when it’s too late
Too much to take
when it’s far too soon

The only answer
is day to day

The direct glare of the sun
gives way
to the faint light of the moon.

Never enough rest
when it’s this raw
Too much to bear
when it cuts this deep

The only answer
is day by day

The constant snare of pain
gives way
to the fleeting escape of sleep.

Too much conviction
to just give up
Just enough energy
to keep going

The only answer
is day after day

The persistent wrench of doubt
gives way
to the calm assurance of knowing.

So much support
when you need it most
Family and friends
to strengthen you

The only answer
is you’ll find your way

The true treasure of living
every day
is enough to get you through.

1 Comment

by ggreentree on April 14, 2015 • Permalink

Posted in Life lessons

Tagged answers, assurance, conviction, doubt, Enough, escape, family, friends, life, living, pain, Poetry, Questions, reality, Strength, suffering, support, Way

Posted by ggreentree on April 14, 2015

https://ggreentree.wordpress.com/2015/04/14/way/

Bus

Bus

I see the bus coming up the street
I am energized as I leave my seat
Feeling that extra bounce in my feet
My heart embracing the added beat.

It’s your contagious, expressive energy
An always positive vibe that enlivens me
Your ever-present smile, your joie de vivre
The impressive person you have come to be

Always offering and anxious to help out
Willing to try, even when there is doubt
Confident and capable is what you shout
You already understand what living is about

When your school day is finally done
The best part of mine has just begun
Shining bright in the late-afternoon sun
My first-born daughter, you are second to none.

–

Changes have come, as we knew they would
Less time together than we know we should
In different places from where we stood
Life gets in the way, like we thought it could
It may be different, but we are good

Another twist in a road that often bends
Between work and circumstance and friends
We are seldom together when the day ends
Yet with just one call, my heart mends
Buoyed by your voice and the assurance it sends

Patience and understanding, as we have discussed
We will always find time, in that we trust
Making the most of it is our infinite plus
The same father-daughter bond connecting us…
I just miss being there, when you get off of the bus.