Youth to Wise

inspired by a post from Lissa Rivero Sanders

Dedicated to all the wise women & men who offered their teachings, whether or not I accepted.

Dear Wise:

Wise, it is true,

we rush to take our place.

We oft forget to hold the space

for beauty.

Wise, it appears

we are cold and hard as steel,

And we speak but do not feel

Compassion.

We can't wait to dance away.

  We will always come back to hear you.

Wise, it does seem

that as we strive and fret

We rush courtesy and forget

our kindness.

As we find our path

through the changes of each day,

It is easy to dismiss the way

it's always been.

We are a little envious because we know

  we are building on the foundation you have created.

Trust us, as we trust you.

Believe, and we'll come through.

For it is your world too,

While you are here. 

We will let you go grudgingly.

And through the cycles of life,

through the dance of time and space,

The bridge we build together will always be a place

Of love and honor.

Patience and Kindness.

Integrity and Strength.

i hope you have a great day!

-Lila

Enlightenment is Awesome - Crap! It's my Turn

I just had lunch with a friend who's been out of state for many years.

Of course, there is the adage that good friends can just regain communication as if no time is passed.  And that felt true.  Which has its benefits and its downfalls, especially if you've both been practicing new habits, new modes of expression.

And of course, there is the "new" judgment classifications I have been learning - acceptance is easy.

But now there is the added layer of "what sort of energy exchange is there?"  Do we share similar enough perceptions, similar realities?  How will time spent with her feed me? 

These are especially important questions for me, after all this transformation, and claiming of self, and choosing how I'll release my gifts, and choosing who I want to hang out with.  Balancing my new needs with the complete joy of spending time with someone I have treasured for many years.

Happily, as I have been growing and expanding, so has she.  There is still language to learn and, of course, differing perceptions, but the broad dreams, the world shaping desires, the manifestation of reality, is similar enough, in alignment, resonation, that we will be walking side by side for a long while yet.   Yay!

Then, as I was driving home, basking in that strange happiness & pride one feels when a friend is still awesome, I realized something.  Okay, something I knew already, but this lunch kind of crystalized it.  Solidified it.  Helped me see it wasn't just me, but was, is, as I am learning, US.

I have looked at the way education is being treated, heard (despite my efforts) of the atrocities being committed, come to think that maybe the children of the 21st century hardly have time for childhood.  And I have thought, oh man, these are the people who will be running the country.

And maybe someday they will be.  But  not before I and mine have a go at it.

Speaking personally, I wouldn't claim adulthood for myself until I was 33 years old.  21 may have meant legal adulthood, but it took many years of practice for me to feel confident, free, and rooted enough in myself to make decisions for myself.  It took another 10 years of practice to bolster that confidence, to define my morals and my personal beliefs and my responsibilities.  And further, what I expect from others.

And now, now it's time to express that, to claim that, to see what parts of my country, my world are able and willing to stand up, to stand together, as strong and confident individuals who accept each other and allow no one, not even the government we've supposedly elected, to bully us.

We are not the 12th district; we are none of the districts, to meekly offer up our dreams and our wills just to retain an unhappy existence for the physical body.

We are not bought and paid for.

And we are not children, to be told what to do, to hide from experience and responsibility and the alien-ness of those around us.

We are individuals, with emotions and free will.  We are all unique and awesome, and we are taking back our power.

We are the next generation - those of us reaching our prime, mature enough to have enjoyed 20 years of choices, flexible enough to still see a better future.  A melding of realities.  A celebration of personhood, where the person is an actual living, breathing, human being.  'Cuz when it comes right down to it, even corporations, even governments, even local businesses, hospitals, countries; even this world is simply a grouping of many individuals.  There is the energy and the  memory of those who have lived and died before us, but mostly, there is just now.  And us.

So I accept.  I accept the job of creating a glorious tomorrow, in my own way, with my own dreams, my practiced will, my sacred honor.  I accept the responsibility of being the best me, the strongest me, the most awesome me, unbowed and unbullied.  I accept all those who stand,  working hard for their reality.

I know the people who are the "kids these days."  And I want to hand them a strong foundation to work from, an awesome, expansive, inclusive, caretaking example for them to follow.

But more, I want to create a happy world for me.  Cuz I'm still here.  So it's still my turn.

It's my turn.  It's our turn.  I accept.

Do you?

I hope you have a great day!

-Lila