Tag: life
The Body Knows
You bark at me
when I am off kilter –
when you don’t get what you need.
I can hear you
scratching at my door
seeking urgent attention.
I get in my head
and forget you need me, too,
and I need to be present.
Like a caged cheetah,
your tension tells me
that something is amiss.
Gradually, through your constant blabbering,
I get the message.
I learn to listen to you.
Your complaining wakes me up:
“This pain, that stiffness, is not you. Stop and see.”
I open my eyes,
look deep within,
and find there is more.
I can change my way of being.
Peace is born.
Copyright© Cynthia Cady Stanton, 2018
The Softening
Morning Coffee
That first brewed cup,
its aroma filling the kitchen,
its warmth on the mug
as my hand hugs it –
well, it soothes my soul.
I am like a cat
looking for a lap –
the ritual invites
rest and reflection –
a feeling of peace which
connects me
to all that matters.
The silence of the morning
reminds me to
quiet my waking mind
and allow for inspiration
to visit me.
She whispers into my soul.
Sipping my coffee,
engaging with words of wisdom –
words that find me
from the writings of others, or
the ones rising up within me –
it is a morning dance
that brings me joy.
We need touch points
like this.
We are like spinning tops
without them,
turning mindlessly, and
missing opportunities
to stop and notice.
The work of the soul,
our experience of Love,
requires these pauses.
Therefore, fret not your routines.
They are roots that
hold you in place –
or scenic spots
along your journey –
they allow for a more expansive view.
I pour myself a second cup,
Feeling the ground below me –
connecting my heart
to what expands before me.
It opens like an eager flower.
I behold the blessing
of another day.
Copyright© Cynthia Cady Stanton, June 2018
Be Still And Know
Everyone has their special brand
of distraction and
dis-ease – that state of mind
that disguises and deters from
all the goodness
right in front of us.
Sometimes,
just stop yourself.
Tell that wrangling mind
“Enough already!”
And then,
do the shift.
Laugh a little, and
forgive yourself for being
quite human.
And then trust that
you can heal yourself
with right thinking…
for your suffering –
no matter what it is,
comes from all the stories
you have made up
in your mind.
That stuff is not real –
but the pain that comes,
is.
Focus, instead,
on what is true.
Your job is to open yourself to
the things that last –
and to hold onto
those principles
with your whole being.
When you learn this,
the problems disappear
and you are
whole again.
Stop living the fiction
and arise to become
who you really are.
This is where your freedom is.
Be well –
with all your heart,
and your mind, too.
Copyright© Cynthia Cady Stanton, June 2018
Floating Through
Seriously…
Big Girl Pants
I noticed her struggle.
It was one of those days when
the burden of work, life, and
responsibility
made her bow low,
even as she quickly moved about.
She was weary –
maybe even in pain,
her eyes with the dark circles below which
appear regularly now,
despite daily application
of concealer.
She kept going,
kept producing,
despite her burden.
I’ve got my big girl pants on, she said.
I could empathize
because I get tired, too.
I understand how hard it is to stop
and just be –
to observe the blessings
along the way.
Perhaps one of the perks
of getting old
is that as responsibilities
and requirements
fall away,
we can finally
rest.
Copyright© Cynthia Cady Stanton, 2018
Over the Hump
Climbing can be hard work
on the muscles,
and on the spirit, too.
We can approach the mountain
in faith and,
even a sense of adventure –
until we get to
our limit.
We have gone as far as
we can go
on our own.
No progress is possible.
We are tempted to give up.
But then,
we somehow get
the boost we need.
We can move forward
with muscles ready
to work again.
As we progress,
new vistas are brought into view.
They bless us with beauty
and hope.
This is what the
miracle of grace
looks like.
We are lifted out of struggle.
We are blessed
with peace.
It is as if
a loving hand from the beyond shows up
and respectfully,
picks you up off the floor.
Copyright© Cynthia Cady Stanton, 2018
Be spiritual.
Becoming and Beholding 