Coloured time

©GE

And just like that, summer has passed and we’re already in the middle of autumn.

Without even realising how the days have gone by so quickly.

Often when we’re too busy with life itself, we don’t have time to even consider how it flies by.

Perhaps it’s better that way too.

Because we enjoy it more.

We fill our days with adventure, so much that it finds us even when we’re not looking for it.

The key is this: to keep yourself entertained so you are barely able to sulk about anything negative.

Keep your eyes, mind, and heart open. Good things are coming if you send out the right vibes.

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Poems of sentiments

Poems don’t have to rhyme, or make much sense.

They just need to speak to you, and reflect what is meant to be said or heard.

It is through these words that we express what we feel, and how deep that sentiment goes.

Perhaps you haven’t felt it so, perhaps that is why you never said anything of the sort.

You compressed those feelings together with the words, lest they escaped and found their way towards me.

But I was never scared of showing you, of allowing my joy to be shared with you.

Perhaps I should have been. Perhaps I should have constrained those sentiments tighter.

For I believed that you would appreciate it all more; you would acknowledge the value of what we had, if you heard it too, if you saw in words the positivity our togetherness reflected.

But you did not.

And that is where it was all lost.

Perhaps I cared too much, much more than you were willing to.

Perhaps you didn’t feel as strong. Or simply refused to admit it.

But I cannot press you to care. You either do it fully or not at all.

There will come a time when you will want to say it all in your own words.

Yet, I cannot promise you that I’ll still be here to listen.

On the occasion of World Poetry Day.

Support in actions

If you observe the signs around you, you’ll see a lot more than what you’re asking for in a verbal communication. That is, there are some things words cannot express.

Not everyone can – or will – communicate in the way you expect or want them to. Each person has their own way of demonstrating affection. You just have to be open enough to see it.

Sometimes, showing that you care is simply by keeping the house warm for your partner, cooking dinner when their too busy, or simply calling to check in.

There are many ways to be there, even if you’re not physically present.

And at the end of the long, hard days we often have, all we really need is to feel loved and thought of.

The source of a storyteller

© Roger Bultot

Being a tourist in an unknown place entails the extraordinary emotion of discovering something new, that you often don’t even expect to find.

We wander to distract our minds, to escape a mundane routine, to change sceneries and perspectives on life.

But we travel for fulfilment; to breathe in as much of the world as possible, to open our minds to things beyond the obvious.

Travelling may leave us speechless, so that we can later become storytellers.

For it is better to witness places first-hand even just once, than to simply read about them.

It’s about the sentiments they awaken.

Also part of Friday Fictioneers

The things you shouldn’t know

You know that saying, “it’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt”? Well, it’s true for every age, and all contexts.

Happiness comes in waves. But like love and pain, it comes unexpectedly and leaves the same way.

The key to being happy – and most of all serene – is acknowledging that you yourself and you alone are responsible for that precious feeling. You’re the only one who can control your feelings even if most times it doesn’t seem so easy or plausible to do.

It’s a magical and refreshing sensation to allow yourself to get carried away in the moments. Those instances that take your breath away, that have you tearing with laughter so much that your abs hurt. Those glimpses of time you look back on and smile nostalgically.

But there is always that inexplicable – demonic – hunch that nothing is so perfect; and it won’t last.

So what do you do when you see something you shouldn’t have? What if you notice a message you shouldn’t be aware of? Or overhear a conversation you weren’t meant to? How do you “un-know” things you shouldn’t know? How do you press “undo” on life events?

It’s mindblowing how emotions can change in a millisecond. How your entire perspective can alter by knowing something you shouldn’t. How everything moves from one extreme to another simply because of a differentiation of facts. It’s as quickly as clouds of rain form in a clear blue sky and hail begins to pour.

But that you can’t really control.

Can you?

Or is it there to show you something? Because often things happen to remind you what you deserve and to rethink where you are and what you’re devoting your energy and time on. Is it worth it if you’re not feeling happy, appreciated and valued?

Drops of us

Water is the driving force of life. It is a known fact. Everything is composed of water in some form. Water and man made the planet as we know it today.

Perhaps that is why water is so powerful.

Why we turn to water in every form of it, seeking comfort, consolation, contentment.

Be it in a walk in a park with a water fountain, an excursion to high waterfalls, a playful day in the snow, a hot shower after a long and tiring day, water helps us regroup ourselves.

Perhaps most importantly, water is associated with emotion. It helps us with all stages of grief (a hot tea, a warm bath), of thirst (a cold drink, an ice cream), and it helps us heal, by reinforcing the sentiment of joy that is integral for our wellbeing. Water helps us rekindle our happiness, for without it –without that feeling of euphoria – we disintegrate and evaporate. Just like the water cycle that maintains life.

Water is a part of us. That is why we rejoice in seeing it around us, because it reminds us of a purity and authenticity that we lost. Because it proves that no matter how soft or fluid, it can patiently and persistently cut through hard rocks or form new paths to move forward.

Taking time off

One of the most pleasing sentiments in the world is setting out for an adventure. You don’t care how early or late you travel in this case, because you are certain that your destination will recompense the trouble of getting there.

Embarking on an adventure usually entails taking time off your usual routine. It means shutting out everything that, no matter how much you enjoy doing, has made you weary and exhausted due to its prolonged and repeated nature.

We all need time off. A break. To detox, regroup and rejuvenate. A welcome recess; that time of doing nothing, will help you bring things into perspective. It is only when you change your view on things that you manage to see a clearer picture.

And you realise that you can draw inspiration and motivation from the simplest things in life. Those that in the hustle and bustle of daily chaos you tend to forget exist.

You’ll go where you focus your light on. You just need to remember that you are responsible for shining it. And it order to maintain its brightness, you need to recharge it when it gets dim.

There is a good quote, which says that you won’t let the fuel in your car drop to empty, why do you allow it to happen to you? Letting your energy drain.

August is that perfect period to shut down for a while. To allow your mind and soul to breathe. To regain your strength, rediscover your focus and set new goals. It is the time to dream and make plans on how to achieve them.

Take time off. You’ll be thankful you did when you return relaxed, refreshed, recharged.

This is the time

Let’s get lost.
In the keyholes through which light shines.
In the depths of the ocean, where there is none.
In the memories of your mind,
And the desires you hide in your heart.

Let’s fly away.
Beyond the lands we reside.
To territories far beyond.
The ones we only imagine exist.

Let’s run afar.
To the extremes of the earth.
To where the wild things are.
And change our mentality, together.

Let’s discover something new.
Let’s change and be bold.
Let’s do things differently.
And not lose hope.

Let’s live courageously.
Radiate in a broken forest.
As if we’re alone.

Let’s do this now.
This is the time.
There is no later.

A rose among verses

It was the last thing she found of him after he had left.

Afraid to touch the slightest, she breathed in deeply, desiring to inhale even the air surrounding his belongings.

It was the place where he was inspired; where he once sat and wrote down his deepest thoughts, his innermost emotions, those sentiments that drench our minds but which we don’t have the courage to say out loud.

It seemed like hours had passed before she approached his vintage wooden desk.

A pile of papers lay in disarray, all hand-written verses. And in the middle, strategically placed, was a single, long-stemmed red rose.

She leaned over to read…

“You’ll always be my forever,
My secret, my desire, my happiness;
Even if I lose you, I know you’ll be there,
Running across my mind,
Hiding in my dreams,
Drowning in my sorrows of having let you go.

You’ll forever be my always,
My love, my joy, my wholeness;
Beautiful as the first day I saw you,
Wild, energetic and bright,
Glimmering like the sun,
Sparkling like the stars,
Emanating that positive aura only you possess.

You and me will never be,
That’s what you said,
And it tore me to pieces
Like the verses in my head.

If always and forever were ever really true,
All I would ever want is to spend an eternity with you.”

How you know you’re home

“So how do you know when you’re home?”

People who were getting to know her usually fired this question among their first ones. As a person who travelled constantly, it was natural that at some point she would lose the distinction of when she was home and when she was just visiting a place. It was a risk flight-attendants chose to take.

“You just know. Home is a feeling. It’s not just the place. It’s the emotions that you get when you walk into it. The smells that remind you of people, places and sentiments. It’s that feeling of safety and tranquility that it radiates. It’s somewhere you’re truly you”.

Also part of Weekend Writing Prompt #156