Exotic: Joyful Stewing

Watching the icy rain
Pelt down again and again,
Strange weather,
Hardly winter at all,

Then turning away,
Back towards the chill inside,
Running low on fuel,
Lethargy has set in,

Reluctant to move
And yet, no trouble
Getting supper going,
Hot stew feels good,

Even when it’s reheated,
Warming the body
And cheering the heart
From the inside out;

So many years it took,
To learn how to cook
So well
Or, at least, to suit me,

Wondering for how much longer
I’ll get to do it
And whether I’ll miss it
When I can’t,

For sometimes it’s a chore
But then I remind myself
How it’s actually
A privilege

And this arouses joy,
Which goes into the pot
Along with the vegetables
That I have chopped.

Exorbitance: Overabundant Energy

I’m on
A marathon run,
Up to
My next meditation course,

Not sure
What I’m doing,
Or why
Or what it’s for,

I feel so rushed
But for what reason?
What’s the hurry?
Or is it just for fun?

It’s so invigorating!
To be in pursuit
Of a goal
And well on my way,

It’s one of life’s pleasures
To be up against a deadline
And yet,
There’s a stress in there too.

Is there a balance,
An in between?
Or is it best
To simply adjust,

To embrace the race,
While it lasts
And rest
When the opportunity arises,

There are, of course
Different opinions
On which way is preferred;
I won’t take sides, however
But only explore each way instead.

Exhortation: Grandma’s Suggestion

Things have gotten slow,
Humdrum
And ho hum,
Not much happening,

Life seems repetitive,
Although,
It’s not necessarily
Unpleasant;

As my Maternal Grandmother once said,
On one of those occasions
When I complained
Of being bored:

“One day,
You’ll be
Grateful
For boredom.”

Back then,
When she made this observation,
I was unconvinced
And mystified,

But now I think
I understand her position
That there comes a time
When this feels right,

Once one has tried
It all
Or at least
As much as one can do for now

And is feeling exhausted,
Has run out of fresh ideas
Or even those that arise
Seem impossible to pursue,
Then boredom will do.