My mantra, since the pandemic in particular, has been, "Control What You Can Control." there is so much in our lives that is completely out of control that I have found if I focus on what I can, that is the best I can do. I can't control wars, climate change, pandemics, or even politicians, but I can control the things in my life that I encounter every day. To help with that, I had to delete all social media (Substack is the only social media I am on) and control the amount of news I let in. And, kindness rules the day, especially in a world where violence, hatred, and bad news sells. Kindness is what the world truly needs.
Thank you for sharing your words with us, which I have read as I have coffee from sunny Brooklyn.
I love thinking of you reading this while having coffee in sunny Brooklyn. It's a sunny morning here on the central coast of California too. I'm so happy that those lines about the negatives resonated. In a way they are at the heart of what this poem is all about, although I didn't address that in my essay. I couldn't find the words. It's a concept difficult to explain. But what you say about control is so true. I like the way the serenity prayer expresses it, and turn to it often in difficult moments: Change the things you can change, accept what you cannot change, and have the wisdom to know the difference. Hope the rest of your day is beautiful, and thank you so much for reading and responding to my post today.
"These negations of the positive, like
The negatives of photographs, or
shadows of trees, are what trail
behind and never touches,
never stains. Pay it no mind."
I ❤️ this stanza!
My mantra, since the pandemic in particular, has been, "Control What You Can Control." there is so much in our lives that is completely out of control that I have found if I focus on what I can, that is the best I can do. I can't control wars, climate change, pandemics, or even politicians, but I can control the things in my life that I encounter every day. To help with that, I had to delete all social media (Substack is the only social media I am on) and control the amount of news I let in. And, kindness rules the day, especially in a world where violence, hatred, and bad news sells. Kindness is what the world truly needs.
Thank you for sharing your words with us, which I have read as I have coffee from sunny Brooklyn.
I love thinking of you reading this while having coffee in sunny Brooklyn. It's a sunny morning here on the central coast of California too. I'm so happy that those lines about the negatives resonated. In a way they are at the heart of what this poem is all about, although I didn't address that in my essay. I couldn't find the words. It's a concept difficult to explain. But what you say about control is so true. I like the way the serenity prayer expresses it, and turn to it often in difficult moments: Change the things you can change, accept what you cannot change, and have the wisdom to know the difference. Hope the rest of your day is beautiful, and thank you so much for reading and responding to my post today.