Walking wounded

It is often said that the Church is a crutch.
    Of course it’s a crutch.
        What makes you think you don’t limp?

                William Sloane Coffin, Jr., Credo

 

 

 

 

Poem: In conversation with myself (2:49am)

I’d like to go back to sleep now.
Oh, I don’t think quite yet. We have things to talk about.
I don’t want to talk. I want to sleep.
Or we could play a fun game.
Or sleep.
Nope. Fun game time.
What’s the game?
It’s called “Your life is a complete failure.”
That’s not a fun game.
It is for me.
But aren’t you me?
Yes and no.
And can’t I control you?
Good luck with that. Let’s review your twenties.
Please don’t.
You poured a pitcher of beer on your head at a happy hour with your boss present.
Oh Christ.
Then you . . .
Nope . . .
C’mon. I love this one. You said, “Look at the rack on that waitress.”
I didn’t know she was his wife.
What about that time, in a meeting, you thought Arkansas ended with the letter “w” . . .
You suck.
And wrote it on a whiteboard in a staff meeting and everyone laughed. At you.
I’m going to sleep.
Fine. Good night.
Really?
Sure. Sleep well.
Oh. Okay.
Lyme disease.
What?
Nothing . . .

        John Kenney,  Love Poems for Anxious People

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's worse than we thought

Observations in animals have found that, for most, over 70% of waking life is spent being afraid, stressed or anxious. And in primates, where social conflict is a bigger part of the equation, this number rises to 85%. Research also suggests that negative feelings are felt twice as strongly as positive ones and that cortisol—the primary stress hormone—delivers effects that last thirty to sixty times longer than dopamine or serotonin, further exacerbating this hellish existence.

        Nick Lynch, The Bowling Broke Substack

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just do it

So whatever you want to do, just do it.
Don’t worry about making a damn fool of yourself.
Making a damn fool of yourself is absolutely essential.
And you will have a great time.

            Gloria Steinem, Commencement address, 1987

Choice

We can believe what we choose.
We are answerable for what we choose to believe.

        Cardinal John Henry Newman, Letter to Mrs. William Froude

 

 

 

 

It's the little things

I could do great things, if I weren’t so busy doing little things.

        Ashleigh Brilliant, Pot-Shots

 

 

 

The Birthday Of The World - Meditation For Rosh Hashanah

God did not make the world according to my specs.
I was not on the planning committee
Nor did he take my bid
But he did use union labor
Even though it was hard to count time and a half
At the start of the job.
But the angels were well organized
And they got their due.

Someone must have negotiated Sabbath,
Hard to believe that it was a management decision,
Although God loves gardening,
And fair labor laws are someplace in Scripture.

I'm not sure that I would have done a better job,
But I would have stacked the odds differently,
Made nature a little easier to understand,
And made sure that the two day week-end
Was part of the primal plans.

I sometimes forget that creation is a kit
All the pieces are in the box,
And God gave us the directions,
And since the help line is always busy,
Perhaps it is time to read the instructions.

                 Lewis Eron