I Carry Your Heart

I carry your heart with me(i carry it in - e. e. cummings

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go, my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

If you learn anything from e. e. cummings be it the beauty in disarray and provocativeness of simplicity.

Wordy Wednesday - Liberal

Last night my coworker (and friend) drove us home from the ferry. Somehow, and I can't recall exactly, we ended up on the subject of religion. It's a well known piece of advice to avoid the subjects of politics and religion when indulging in conversation, but I say to hell with this. If you avoid these powerhouse conversational subjects, how will you ever know if you truly like the people you're keeping time with? Think about it. Almost all moral views and ideologies fall under one or both of these categories.

I want to know if the people I call friends don't agree with gay marriage or think climate change is a myth. Not just because it will allow me insight into who they are as people, but I will understand why our friendship is ultimately doomed. But today is Wordy Wednesday, so why I am I telling you all this? Well, you know how I love my tie ins ...

The word: Liberal

For what doesn't seem like a very exciting or interesting word it sure can whip someone into a frenzy and cause problems. There are those who sneer at the mere mention of someone being liberal, like it's a very bad, dirty thing. All I can assume is the definition has actually gotten lost in the twisted world of politics.

My coworker and I are liberal. As we talked, we exchanged ideas. We discussed. I talked about my thoughts on every single person and animal being interconnected and read her a short story I stumbled across on the intersnacks called The Universe Is Our Egg. She told me about her interest in Buddhism, how she finds religions interesting, and actually enjoys listening to people talk about their faith. We agreed faith is a good thing. A great thing. How it seems to be an essential component of existing in this world, which can be so daunting and cruel, so callous and cold.

There was talk of what we find disconcerting about religion. All the judgement. How people push their beliefs on others. The close-mindedness and unwillingness to accept others' thoughts and opinions. Following religious practices without asking questions. Not being able to listen to what another person has to say.

To be liberal is to accept differing opinions and ways of behaving. To be sympathetic. Compassionate. To try to understand others. You don't have to agree with what others think and feel, you don't have to embrace their morals or beliefs, but you are receptive to what they have to say. Being liberal is having your own thoughts and ideas but still accepting other people have theirs too. If you ask me, the world could use a whole lot more tolerance.

So, I believe we are one and that it is only with love that we should move. What do you believe?

Remembrance Day

It doesn't matter if you agree with war or the motivations behind the people governing the soldiers, one must always pay respect to those who have lost their lives. Those who have fought and experienced the terror of war, only to die. Who enlisted to protect their country and our freedoms and never made it back to enjoy their own country and freedoms.

One must always remember those who came back wounded, physically or mentally. Who struggled daily with what they saw or did. And once again fought, this time on homeland, to overcome the terrors of war again and find who they are and how to adjust in the country they loved, the place they called home. To remember those who managed to figure it out and the ones who didn't. The ones who couldn't find their way back through the darkness and perished.

And one must give thanks to those who are deployed now. Who are still enlisting in the face of all this uncertainty because they want to serve their country. To those overseas in terrifying situations. The ones who understand they might not make it home and know that is part of the  job description. All the men and women waiting to get home to their wives and children and pets.

We must always spare a moment for those who have enlisted, are enlisted and will enlist. If not for them, we'd all be forced to go. And I can tell you one thing, I don't want to.

Coming Home?

It's weird coming back to the mainland. Back to this space. A familiar place. Whenever I cross the water it feels as though I am coming home. Returning to my old life.

Here are my loved ones. My friends. Always someone with open arms and open doors. There is laughter and memories, a bed and food. Someone to say they miss me.

I never long for the city, it's too fast and mean for me. But I dream of never having to excuse myself, explain my words, or be reasonable. Everything is as it is. And I miss just being who I am in the presence of great people, the ones I love.

And still I miss my boys and the island, the home in the bay and my bed.

Is it possible to have two homes? Or more?

Time Waster Extraordinaire

So, I'm pretty good at wasting time. It isn't something I like to brag about because, in a world where everyone is claiming to multitask and have so much to do, it kind of makes me look lazy. The funny part is, most of us aren't as busy as we claim to be. We always puzzle out ways to sneak in the things we love, be it watching movies, knitting, writing, hiking, swimming, or simply drinking hooch and listening to sad music.

The thing is, we like wasting time. Sure, we might feel bad about it later, but for the most part, life seems to be about wasting time. In fact, wasting time is sort of subjective. It's not like the majority of us are trying to figure out a cure for Cancer or working towards equal rights for everyone everywhere, even though most of us want those things. (Except the jerks, of course. They don't want any good things to happen.)

Because I've been wasting time for so long, or enjoying life as I like to call it, I have become an extraordinary time waster. If you have a copious amount of time on your hands and need to get through a couple hours, I have one website to occupy you for all eternity. Unlike YouTube and IMDB (two sites I occasionally get lost in a vortex of information), this new site will not only amuse but inform you, and for some strange reason, I don't know anyone who uses it, except me.

Don't think I discovered this treasure, though. It's super popular, just not with West Coast Canadians, apparently.

Welcome to ODDEE! 

Think of Oddee as an odd little gathering place for weirdos who like to make lists. That's right, lists. This site is filled to the brim with lists of strange things, like 20 Creeptastic Horror Movie Tattoos and 12 Amazing Real People Who Look Like Cartoons. It has lists for the celebrity enthusiast (10 Most Extreme Method Actors), world traveller (15 Breathtaking Views From Amazing Rooms), nature lover (10 Geological Wonders You Don't Know) and even the science minded (9 Bizarre Pieces of Medical Advice That Actually Work). 

Honestly, there's something for everyone. If you're out to learn or simply be entertained, this is the website for you. 

You're welcome, in advance.